Western Hartebeest
Encyclopedia
The Western Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus major) is an antelope
native to the medium to tall grassland
plains of Benin
, Burkina Faso
, Cameroon
, Central African Republic
, Chad
, Côte d'Ivoire
, Ghana
, Guinea
, Guinea-Bissau
, Mali
, Niger
, Nigeria
, Senegal
and Togo
. It is possibly extirpated
from Gambia.
Average adult Western Hartebeest stand 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) tall at the shoulder and weigh 145 kilograms (319.7 lb). A Western Heartebeest's coat is fawn colored, ranging from tan to dark brown. It has a small hump at the front shoulders. It has slim legs and a very narrow face. Both sexes are horned. Horns may be 45 – long. There is considerable variation in horn growth, however they generally grow sideways out from the head, before curving forward, then inward and backward. The horns are terminated by sharp tips.
The Western Hartebeest is mainly active during the day. A herbivore
, it grazes during the cooler morning and afternoon periods, resting in shaded areas during the hot daytime. Females form herd
s of five to twelve members, while males generally remain solitary. While the herd is feeding, one member will act as a sentry, watching for possible predators. If threatened, the herd flees as a single file group, reaching speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour (49.7 mph), making it one of the fastest antelopes. Herds are generally sedentary; animals spend much of their day resting in shade to escape high noon-time heat. They will move as a herd to find water. In particularly dry seasons, or in times of drought
, herds of females will migrate together seeking water or better grazing.
Western Hartebeest are generally not aggressive, but they will fight to protect their young or their claimed area. Males claim areas of plain
s averaging 31 hectare (0.31 km²), for periods of 4–5 years. Males protect their claimed area fiercely. Males have been known to go without water to protect their territory. If a male leaves his territory to find water, another male may usurp the territory.
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
native to the medium to tall grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
plains of Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Senegal to the north, and Guinea to the south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean to its west....
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
and Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
. It is possibly extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
from Gambia.
Average adult Western Hartebeest stand 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) tall at the shoulder and weigh 145 kilograms (319.7 lb). A Western Heartebeest's coat is fawn colored, ranging from tan to dark brown. It has a small hump at the front shoulders. It has slim legs and a very narrow face. Both sexes are horned. Horns may be 45 – long. There is considerable variation in horn growth, however they generally grow sideways out from the head, before curving forward, then inward and backward. The horns are terminated by sharp tips.
The Western Hartebeest is mainly active during the day. A herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
, it grazes during the cooler morning and afternoon periods, resting in shaded areas during the hot daytime. Females form herd
Herd
Herd refers to a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic, and also to the form of collective animal behavior associated with this or as a verb, to herd, to its control by another species such as humans or dogs.The term herd is generally applied to mammals,...
s of five to twelve members, while males generally remain solitary. While the herd is feeding, one member will act as a sentry, watching for possible predators. If threatened, the herd flees as a single file group, reaching speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour (49.7 mph), making it one of the fastest antelopes. Herds are generally sedentary; animals spend much of their day resting in shade to escape high noon-time heat. They will move as a herd to find water. In particularly dry seasons, or in times of drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
, herds of females will migrate together seeking water or better grazing.
Western Hartebeest are generally not aggressive, but they will fight to protect their young or their claimed area. Males claim areas of plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
s averaging 31 hectare (0.31 km²), for periods of 4–5 years. Males protect their claimed area fiercely. Males have been known to go without water to protect their territory. If a male leaves his territory to find water, another male may usurp the territory.