Download Lesser Kudu Tragelaphus imberbis australis

Fact Sheet: Lesser Kudu
Tragelaphus imberbis australis
Description:
• Size:
o Length: 3.5-4.5 ft (110-140 cm)
o Height (at shoulder): 3-3.5 ft (90-105cm)
• Weight:
o Male: 202-238 lb (92-108 kg)
o Female: 123-154 lb (56-70 kg)
• Sexual dimorphism: Males are much larger, have horns and a mane, and a different
coloration. Females are smaller and lack horns and a mane.
• Physical Description: Lesser kudu are large antelope. Their legs are long and thin, and
they have a long neck. The ears are also very large. The males have spiraling horns that
can reach a length of 3 ft (95 cm), as well as a short mane between the shoulder blades
and along the spine near the rump. Tail is short without a tuft of hair at the tip.
• Coloration: The face has a white stripe that runs between the eyes. Legs are fawn
colored with a white patch immediately above the hooves. White spots are present at
the throat and chest with a white abdomen. Tail is tan or gray on top, white underneath,
and black on the tip. A white stripe runs down the center of the spine, with 11-14 stripes
running down from the central stripe.
o Males: Dominant color is gray.
o Females: Dominant color is reddish-brown.
o Young: Dominant color is brownish-red.
In the Wild
Habitat and Range:
• Geographic range: The lesser kudu is found in northern east Africa, including Ethiopia,
Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is extinct from Djibouti. The
subspecies displayed at the Zoo originates from Kenya, South Sudan, southern Somalia
and Tanzania.
• Preferred Habitat: A shy species, it is rarely found in open habitat, and prefers dry, flat,
and densely thicketed areas in the tropics and sub-tropics. Can also be found in
woodland and hilly areas.
Diet:
• Herbivore: Lesser kudu eat a wide variety of plants, in some areas up to 150 different
species. Its diet includes leaves, shoots, twigs, grass, fruit, and herbs. Rarely drinks
water, and seems to get all the moisture necessary from its food, enabling the species to
survive in arid and semi-arid areas.
8/7/2014
Lesser Kudu
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
Adaptations:
• Slightly striped pattern provides superb camouflage in wooded areas with tall grass.
• Huge ears are highly mobile, and enable kudu to hear most threats from a long way
away.
• Horns are used for protection and dominance displays between males.
• Long, thin legs are well adapted for running quickly. Because the legs have little mass,
they are easier for the powerful thigh muscles to move. When bounding, lesser kudu
can reach heights of 6.5 ft (2 m) and lengths of 30 ft (9.2 m) in a single jump.
Median Lifespan Expectancy:
• Wild: 7-8 years
• Captivity: Up to 23 years
Ecosystem relationships:
• Predators: Both young and adults are hunted by lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs,
eagles, and large pythons.
• Interspecies competitors: Other herbivores are likely competitors.
• Role/ Niche: As a primary consumer, lesser kudu serve as a food source for large
carnivores. Due to the wide variety of plants they consume, they also play a role in
vegetation control.
Reproduction:
• Breeding season: There is no fixed breeding season for lesser kudu.
• Behavior:
o Courtship: Males are solitary unless getting ready to breed. If they encounter
another male near a female, they will lock horns and attempt to force each other
into submission. The larger male usually wins, and establishes breeding rights
with the female. The male and female will also engage in a dominance display, in
which both antelope will stand fully erect and attempt to shove each other back.
Apart from this display, males are never aggressive towards females. After
copulation, the males leave the females and return to being solitary.
• Gestation: Usually lasts 7-8 months.
• Number of offspring: Single offspring
• Maturation: About 50% of calves die within the first six months to predation and
disease, and only about 75% live past three years of age. For the first month of the calf’s
life, the mother will keep it separate from the group, after which it will follow the
mother continuously. Males leave the group after 1.5 to two years, and reach full size at
three years, though they do not usually attain enough status to mate until five years.
Females will either stay with their mothers or leave to form new groups.
Activity:
• Nocturnal, but often active during the day
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Lesser Kudu
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
•
o Mainly forages at dawn and dusk, most active at night
Social structure:
o Males: primarily solitary, occasionally form small groups
o Females: typically live in groups of 2-3 adults and their offspring
o Groups maintain home ranges, but are rarely territorial
Other “fun facts”:
• The lesser kudu resembles the greater kudu physically, but the greater kudu is
substantially larger and displays different social behavior and structure.
• Horns vs. antlers: Kudu, like all antelope, have horns. Horns are different from antlers in
both structure and shape. Horns consist of a sheath of keratin (the same substance as
human fingernail and hair) covering live bone, with nerve endings and blood vessels.
Horns are borne for the entire life of the animal, do not grow back when broken off, and
are typically a single unbranched structure. Antlers consist of dead bone without nerves
or blood vessels, are shed and re-grow every year, and are typically branched structures.
• Antelope vs. deer: Lesser kudu, along with the sitatunga, addra gazelle, and Kirk’s
dik-dik, are species of antelope. While both antelope and deer are ungulates (hoofed
mammals), antelope have horns while deer have antlers.
• When startled, kudu will vocalize with a short bark before bounding away
Conservation Status and Threats:
• Listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened.
o The lesser kudu faces mild, but long-term population decline due to several
factors. They are commonly hunted for both bushmeat (wild animal meat) and
sport. The horns, in particular, are coveted for their use as musical instruments,
honey containers, and materials for spiritual rituals. However, their preferred
dense scrub habitat and shy habits provide some resistance to hunting efforts.
o Overgrazing and encroachment from human farmers degrades the kudu’s
habitat, since kudu will not survive in open fields or farmland.
o Rinderpest, a disease that affects cattle, has caused considerable decreases in
population, though it is now no longer a concern.
o Because about 30% of the wild population lives in protected areas, the lesser
kudu is considered conservation dependent.
• Not listed on CITES.
• Conservation efforts:
o Lesser kudu are part of a Species Survival Plan, which aims to create a genetically
diverse captive population in American zoos and aquariums.
o The aforementioned rinderpest disease is no longer a concern. After a 2001
resolution by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), member countries
committed to destroying or storing all occurrences of rinderpest. In 2011, the
world was officially declared to be free from rinderpest, making it the second
disease (after smallpox) to be destroyed by concentrated human action.
8/7/2014
Lesser Kudu
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
At the Zoo
•
The Zoo houses two male lesser kudu, both born in 2010. Their names are Pistol and
Ritter
What We Can Do
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Make sure you know the origin of the products you buy – buying something imported
illegally supports the black market by sustaining demand
o Ex. Rosewood is still being illegally imported from Madagascar despite bans on
logging because people are still buying it
Opt for fake fur or horns over real materials when buying coats and other clothing and
accessories
o All of our shopping choices can have an impact on the environment and wildlife,
so when available opt for recycled and local products
o Research responsible companies that do not use animal based products or
testing
Support the conservation efforts of local organizations like The Maryland Zoo as well as
organizations working in the field to protect wildlife and conserve habitat. Learn more
about them, spread the word, and consider donating or getting involved.
Learn more about the bushmeat crisis and other ways that you can help at
http://www.bushmeat.org/.
Support sustainable industry and medical research
References:
• http://www.arkive.org/lesser-kudu/tragelaphus-imberbis/
• http://www.arkive.org/greater-kudu/tragelaphus-strepsiceros/
• http://www.marylandzoo.org/animals-conservation/mammals/lesser-kudu/
• http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22053/0
• http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Tragelaphus_imberbis/
• http://www.antelopetag.com/assets/docs/Antelope/Lesser_Kudu_08.pdf
• http://www.oie.int/for-the-media/rinderpest/
8/7/2014
Lesser Kudu
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore