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Physical Characteristics

• The upper body is covered with dark red to chestnut brown blotches of various shapes and sizes on a buff background. The underparts are light and unspotted. The long neck is maned with short hair and the tail has a tuft of coarse hair at the end. Both sexes have two to four blunt, short, horn-like structures, called ossicones, on the top of the head. The tongue is long and flexible and the upper lip prehensile. A series of valves regulate the flow of blood to the head.
• Size of average adult
  • height: 18 - 20 feet
  • weight: 1 ton
• Approximate life span is 25 years.

Diet

• Wild: leaves from the acacia, mimosa and wild apricot trees

Behavior

• Active mainly in the evening and early morning
• Usually sleep standing up, but occasionally lie down
• In order to drink or pick up food from the ground, must spread the forelegs apart or kneel until the head can touch the ground
• Can lope for for long distances without tiring
• When running, the hind feet are swung forward of the forefeet, but when walking both feet on a side are carried forward at the same time
• Live in casual herds, members may leave at any time
• Reproduction
  • sexual maturity: 3 - 4 years
  • gestation : 14.5 months
  • almost always one calf, weighing up to 130 pounds and up to 6 feet tall, the calf is able to stand after 20 minutes and begins to suckle within an hour

Environmental/Global

• Habitat: dry savannas and open woodlands
• Distribution: south of the Sahara in Africa

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