Largest antelope is Eland 6 feet tall, weigh up to pounds while the smallest is Royal antelope, sized like a rabbit inches in height. All antelopes have even-toed hooves, horizontal pupils, stomach adapted for re-chewing of the food they are ruminants, just like all cows and bony horns. Bony horns vary in shape and size. They can be straight, spiral, curved or twisted. Antelopes use horns for fight against other antelopes during mating season and to protect themselves, or the herd, from the predators.
Antelopes don't replace their horns annually. Desert antelope, like addaxes and Dama gazelles, do not need to drink water—they get moisture from their food. Impala can leap 9 meters 30 feet horizontally in a single stride. To avoid bushes and other obstacles, impala can soar up to 3 meters 10 feet. The highest jumper in relation to body side is the klipspringer ; at about 60 centimeters 2 feet tall, this tiny antelope can jump 15 times its own height. The pronghorn antelope is capable of reaching speeds up to kilometer 60 mph per hour.
Antelopes are a common symbol in heraldry, though they occur in a highly distorted form from nature. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Prev Article Next Article. Related Posts. About The Author admin More from this Author. Add Comment Cancel reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The dam then rejoins the herd, and the calf remains hidden and quiet. She comes back periodically to feed her calf, calling softly to it and listening for the bleat.
In more solitary antelope, the dam hides her calf and then stays nearby to guard it as she feeds, returning to nurse it when needed. When the calf is strong enough, it joins her, and they stay together until the calf is mature and heads out on its own.
In antelope that migrate or live on large ranges, like hartebeest, topis, bontebok, and gnu, the calves are up and on their feet within a few minutes to a day or so after they are born, and they immediately start traveling with the herd.
They often stick together as a group and are protected by adults surrounding them. If danger approaches, the adults can face the challenge with their strength and their horns. One major threat to virtually all antelope is hunting, for both horns and meat. However, culture and human attitudes toward these animals vary.
For example, in Sierra Leone, the royal antelope Neotragus pygmaeus is rarely shot, but it can get caught in snares set for duikers and other hoofed animals. The saiga Saiga tatarica , addax Addax nasommaculatus , dama gazelle Nanger dama , Hunter's antelope Beatragus hunteri , and Aders' duiker Cephalophus adsersi are at critical risk, and several other antelope are endangered. Saiga saga. Saigas are poached for their horns, which are highly valued in traditional Asian folk remedies.
As with rhino horn, the demand far outpaces the supply, driving prices up and making poaching seem worth the risk. The impact has been jaw dropping: in , there were about 1,, saigas in Russia; today, there are a mere 65,, with very few males, since poachers, who are mainly interested in the horns, take only the males. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park had a breeding herd of saigas, with over calves born, setting a record among zoos.
That experience was put to use to help the struggling populations in the wilderness. Some of the saigas born at the Center have been reintroduced into the Reserve, where they are watched over by trained rangers. To help the rangers help the saigas, we provide funds for vehicles, spotting scopes, and gasoline, so the rangers can effectively patrol the Reserve to watch the health of the herds and address the poaching problem.
Together we can save wildlife worldwide. Age of maturity: 6 months to 8 years old, depending upon the species. Males usually mature later than females. Smallest: Royal antelope 10 inches 26 centimeters tall at the shoulder and 6. Tallest: Blue gnu at 5. The posture of the male effects how his roar is delivered. Other bovids utilize their nasal passages to roar. Male saiga contract and extend their peculiar noses while forcing air through their nostrils to produce a roaring sound, which is used to deter rival males and attract females.
Vocal communication between calves and their mothers help them recognize and locate each other when separated. In addition to communication that is used to increase reproductive success and offspring survival, bovids also vocalize in an attempt to ward of potential predators. Grunting and roaring, much like those used by competing males, are used to drive off predators and warn herd members.
Domesticated bovids are known to vocalize in anticipation of food and native Korean cows vocalize before being fed. Unlike primates and many carnivorous mammals, bovids are fairly limited in their ability to convey information via facial expressions, thus they rely heavily on postural displays to communicate their intentions. When attempting to communicate dominance or aggression towards competitors or lower ranking individuals, most bovids make themselves look as large as possible.
Slow rigid movement and occasionally posing in an erect posture with a level muzzle, is used to exhibit dominance over others. Common aggressive displays include mimic fighting, staring, or shaking their heads wildly to communicate they feel threatened and are ready to fight.
Submissive communication includes a lowering of the head or raising the chin so horns rest along the top of the neck. When threatened, bovids often remain still. In some antelope, like impala , lesser kudu , and common eland , individuals may jump in place to signal a potential threat to conspecifics. Currently, many bovid species enjoy sufficient numbers to ensure their survival for years to come. Parks like Serengeti National Park provide ecotourism opportunities and serve as a significant source of income to local economies.
As a result, ecotourism enhances the monetary value of wildlife in these countries. In some areas, however, bovids continue to be over exploited for meat and habitat loss due to overgrazing by domestic species, farming, and logging is a significant threat to the persistence of many species. Bovids with limited range and unique habitat requirements are even more at risk. As of , four species of bovid have gone extinct in the wild: aurochs , Queen of Sheebas gazelle , Saudi gazelle , and bluebuck.
Scimitar-horned oryx is extinct in the wild and now lives only in zoos. Eight others species are "critically endangered". Saola antelope and bighorn sheep are listed as "endangered". Another 21 species are listed as vulnerable and 16 species are considered "near threatened".
Bovids are an important food sources for a number of different carnivores. As bovid populations decline, so too will those animals that depend on them.
For example, the decline of cheetahs is often attributed habitat loss. However, cheetahs primarily prey upon small to medium sized bovids, specifically gazelle.
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2 species of gazelle are extinct, while 10 more are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. In north Africa, as preferred prey species have declined, more and more cheetahs are turning to livestock for prey.
Consequently, these cheetahs are then killed as pests. As a result, one of the major directives for cheetah conservation is restoration of wild prey species, most of which are small to medium-sized bovids. Bovids are the largest of 10 extant families within Artiodactyla, consisting of more than extant and extinct species. Designation of subfamilies within Bovidae has been controversial and many experts disagree about whether Bovidae is monophyletic or not.
While as many as 10 and as few as 5 subfamilies have been suggested, the intersection of molecular, morphological, and fossil evidence suggests 8 distinct subfamilies: Aepycerotinae impalas , Alcelaphinae bonteboks, hartebeest, wildebeest, and relatives , Antilopinae antelopes, dik-diks, gazelles, and relatives , Bovinae bison, buffalos, cattle, and relatives , Caprinae chamois, goats, serows, sheep, and relatives , Cephalophinae duikers , Hippotraginae addax, oryxes, roan antelopes, sable antelopes, and relatives , and Reduncinae reedbucks, waterbucks, and relatives.
Wild bovids can be found throughout Africa, much of Europe, Asia, and North America and characteristically inhabit grasslands. Their dentition , unguligrade limb morphology, and gastrointestinal specialization likely evolved as a result of their grazing lifestyle. All bovids have four-chambered, ruminating stomachs and at least one pair of horns , which are generally present on both sexes. Bovinae is generally considered to include 24 species from 8 different genera, including nilgai , four-horned antelope , wild cattle , bison , Asian buffalo , African buffalo , and kudu.
Sexual dimorphism is highly prevalent in this subfamily, with the males of some species weighing nearly twice as much as their female counterparts. Bovines have played an important role in the cultural evolution of humans , as numerous species within this subfamily have been domesticated for subsistence purposes.
The subfamily Antilopinae includes antelopes, dik-diks, gazelles, and relatives. Small to medium-sized, cover-dependent antelope are found throughout a majority of Africa but occur in particularly high densities in east Africa.
Dwarf antelope , steenboks , and dik-diks occur in a variety of different habitats but are also restricted to the continent of Africa. Finally, true gazelles include the genera Eudorcas , Gazella , Nanger , and Procapra , among others. In general, bovids within the subfamily Antilocapinae occur throughout much of Asia and Africa. Bovids within the subfamily Reduncinae are primarily distributed throughout parts of Eurasia and Africa.
Reduncinae is comprised of only three genera, including Redunca reedbucks , Pelea rhebok , and Kobus waterbucks. Species in Reduncinae are medium to large-sized grazers that often have strong ties to water.
They also have long hair , and all species exhibit sexual dimorphism, as horns are only present in males. Bovids in the subfamily Hippotraginae consist primarily of large grazing antelopes with large horns.
Hippotraginae species are restricted to Africa and middle-east Asia and are primarily grazers. Most species in this subfamily live in arid habitats and have an erect mane along the nape of the neck. Recent accounts include 8 species from 3 different genera. Ancelaphinae , consisting of 10 species from 4 genera, includes bonteboks , hartebeest , wildebeest , and relatives.
All of the species in this subfamily are nomadic grazers that are native to Africa. The subfamily Caprinae consists of goats , sheep , muskox , and relatives. This subfamily of bovids consists of 12 genera, however, the organization of Caprinae is complex and several classifications have been suggested.
Caprinids are especially adapted to montane and alpine environments, which explains why this is the only subfamily that is more diverse in Eurasia than Africa. In general, both genders have horns , however, horn morphology in many species is sexually dimorphic. The subfamily Aepycerotinae consists a single species, the imapala.
Aepycerotinae is endemic to Africa and is thought to have diverged from other bovids during the early Miocene , around 20 million years ago. Impala are sexually dimorphic, as only males possess horns.. Cephalophinae consists of 18 species of duiker from 3 genera.
Duikers are highly specialized and are resident to the tropical forests of Africa. All species are easily recognizable as they have the same basic body plan but differ significantly in size from one species to the next. Duikers are size-dimoprhic, however, unlike most bovids, females are slightly larger than males. Also unlike most other bovids, duikers are primarily frugivorous. Bovids, despite their important economic contributions to humans, can also have important detrimental effects.
Zoonotic diseases transmitted by bovids to humans and domestic animals can have significant negative consequences, both physically and financially. For example, in less developed counties bovine tuberculosis can pose a significant economic threat for cattle farmers, and brucellosis, a bacterial disease that affects sheep, goats, cattle, elk, and deer, can be transmitted to humans by consuming undercooked contaminated meat and contaminated milk and dairy products.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy BSE , more commonly known as Mad Cow Disease, is an infectious disease caused by an unknown agent, currently believed to be a modified protein.
Cattle become infected when they are fed meat-and-bone meal that contains infected cattle by-products. Humans can contract BSE by consuming animal products from infected animals. Bovids have been introduced world wide and in some locations have had severe detrimental impacts on the local environment. For example, goats were introduced by whalers to the Galapagos Island during the 18th century and have since caused extensive damage to the native ecosystem.
In addition, introduced bovids compete with native animals for both food and habitat and can cause soil erosion due to overgrazing.
Bovids, native and domestic, present a potential threat to various forms of agriculture by damaging and consuming crops. Negative Impacts: injures humans carries human disease ; crop pest; causes or carries domestic animal disease. The domestication of artiodactyls for subsistence purposes lead to one of the most important cultural changes in human history, the transition from a purely hunter-gatherer society to a predominantly agricultural society.
In the near east, around 10 thousand years ago KYA , goat and sheep were domesticated purely for subsistence purposes, followed by the domestication of cows 7. Economically, cattle are the most important domesticated animal world wide. In , the global population of domestic artiodactyls was greater than 4.
In the United States, one of the worlds top 4 beef producers, beef production is the country's fourth largest industry, and in , per capita beef consumption in the United States was nearly 66 pounds. In addition to meat production, bovids are used for their milk, fur, skin, bone and feces. Goats and cattle are the primary producers of commercial milk and dairy products, sheep wool is used in the mass production of clothing, and manure is commonly used as fertilizer.
For thousands of years humans have used bovids for hard labor tasks such as hauling materials, plowing fields, and transportation. Domestic bovids have also been used to control invasive plant species and enhance plant biodiversity through their selective feeding behavior.
Sport hunting of bovids generates millions of dollars annually. However, trophy hunting can alter the evolutionary dynamics of wild populations by imposing unnatural selective pressures for decreased ornamentation.
Finally, bovids play an important role in the global ecotourism movement as various species are readily observable throughout much of their native habitat. Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material; ecotourism ; research and education; produces fertilizer. As obligate herbivores, bovids can dramatically affect the abundance and diversity of plant communities. Predation, or the threat of predation, has been shown to decrease overgrazing by bovids.
Bovids are host to a diverse array of endo- and ectoparasites. Many species of parasitic flatworms Cestoda and Trematoda and roundworms spend at least part of their lifecycle in the tissues of bovid hosts. Bovids are also vulnerable to various forms of parasitic arthropods including ticks , lice , mites Psoroptes and Sarcoptes , keds , fleas , mosquitoes , and flies.
Bovids also host various forms of parasitic protozoa, including trypanosomatids , coccidians , piroplasmids , and numerous species of Giardia. In addition, various forms of bacterial and viral pathogens play an important role in bovid health and population dynamics. For example, Brucella abortus , the bacteria that causes brucellosis, affects many bovid species and rhinderpest, also known as cattle plague, is a highly contagious viral disease caused by paramyxovirus that is especially prevalent in bovids.
Unfortunately, evidence suggests that recent climate change is altering host-parasite dynamics across the globe, increasing transmission rates between populations of conspecifics and hybridization rates between host specific parasite forms. Many bovids have mutualistic relationships with other animals. Cattle egrets and cowbirds regularly live amongst many bovid species, taking advantage of insects and parasites that feed on bovids, or feeding on insects and small animals that are forced out of hiding by movement and grazing.
In addition to pest removal, mutualist species can alert them to the presence of predators. Bovids also create loosely formed interspecific groups with other large herbivores such as zebras , giraffes , and ostriches , which increases the chances for predator detection.
Although bovids can serve as host to numerous species of pathogenic bacteria and protozoa, in conjunction with anaerobic fungi, these organisms are one of the major reasons that bovids are as abundant and diverse as they are today. The presence of anaerobic fungi in the rumen has only been known since the early 's. Bacteria and protozoa that pass from the upper to the lower regions of the GI tract represent a significant portion of the dietary nitrogen required by their host. Although bovids are obligate herbivores, they occasionally supplement their diet with animal products, and feeding strategies are correlated with body size.
In general, small bovids are solitary specialized feeders that forage in dense, closed habitat, whereas large bovids tend to be gregarious and feed in open grassland habitats. As generalist herbivores, large bovids consume high-fiber vegetation, which contains more cellulose and lignin than the diet of forest dwelling species.
However, because all bovids are obligate herbivores they support microbial communities within their rumen bacteria, protozoa, and fungi , which help break down cellulose and lignin and converts high fiber forage into an abundant energy source.
In addition to the true stomach, or abomasum, all bovids have 3 additional chambers, or false stomachs, in which bacterial fermentation takes place. Bovids digest low-quality i. First, gastric fermentation extracts lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, which are then absorbed and distributed throughout the body via the intestines. Second, large undigested food particles form into a bolus, or ball of cud, which is regurgitated and re-chewed to help break down the cell wall of ingested plant material.
Third, cellulose digestion via bacterial fermentation results in high nitrogen microbes that are occasionally flushed into the intestine, which are subsequently digested by their host. These high-nitrogen microbes serve as an important protein source for bovids. Finally, bovids can store large amounts of forage in their stomachs for later digestion. All bovids chew their cud, have four-chambered stomachs 1 true and 3 false stomachs and support microorganisms that breakdown cellulose.
Each bovid subfamily has a unique feeding strategy. For example, members of Antilopinae are arid land gleaners and feed primarily on unevenly dispersed food resources. Bovinae species rely on both scattered and abundant forage and are fresh grass bulk grazers. Members of Caprinae are more generalized and flexible feeders and can often be found foraging in low-productivity habitats. Hippotraginae species are arid adapted grazers that generally rely on an unstable food supplies. Bovids from Reduncinae are valley grazers and depend on an abundant unstable food supply.
Unlike most other bovids, members of Cephalophinae are primarily frugivorous and are known to follow canopy dwelling primates to collect dropped fruit. Although the greatest diversity of Bovidae occurs in Africa, bovids are also found throughout parts of Europe, Asia and North America.
A number of bovid species, particularly those domesticated for subsistence, have been globally introduced, including Australia and South America. Biogeographic Regions: nearctic Native ; palearctic Native ; oriental Native ; ethiopian Native ; neotropical Native ; australian Introduced. Bovids first evolved as grassland species, and most extant species are open grassland inhabitants.
Bovid species richness is highest in the savannah of east Africa and the family has radiated to fill an enormous variety of ecological niches resulting in a wide range modifications to dental and limb morphology.
For example, Bohor reedbuck and lechwe inhabit riparian and swampy landscape; springbok and oryx are found in deserts; bongo and anoa occupy dense forests; mountain goats and takin reside at high elevations; and musk ox are restricted to arctic tundra. Numerous bovid species have been domesticated by humans. Goats and sheep were domesticated for subsistence purposes around 10 thousand years ago KYA in the near east, followed by the domestication of cattle around 7.
While wild relatives of goats and sheep can still be found in their native habitat, the wild ancestors of domesticated cattle, aurochs , have been extinct in the wild for nearly years. Currently, domesticated aurochs are kept on farms and as pets throughout parts of Eurasia. Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; taiga ; desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; chaparral ; forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest ; mountains.
Bovid lifespans are highly variable. Some domesticated species have an average lifespan of 10 years with males living up to 28 years and females living up to 22 years. For example, domesticated goats can live up to 17 years but have an average lifespan of 12 years. Most wild bovids live between 10 and 15 years, with larger species tending to live longer. For instance, American bison can live for up to 25 years and gaur up to 30 years.
In polygynous species, males often have a shorter lifespan than females. This is likely due to male-male competition and the solitary nature of sexually-dimorphic males resulting in increased vulnerability to predation. Bovids display the characteristic long limbs and unique foot and unguligrade stance of artiodactyls.
They are paraxonic , as the line of symmetry of the foot runs between the third and fourth digits. In most bovids, the lateral digits are either reduced or absent and the animal's weight is born on the remaining central digits.
The third and forth metapodials are completely fused in bovids, resulting the cannon bone. The joint between the cannon bone and proximal phalanges includes four sesamoid bones that act as joint stops. The ulna and fibula is reduced and fused with the radius and tibia respectively.
This arrangement provides for a wide angle of flexion and extension, but restricts lateral movement. As a members of the suborder Ruminantia, bovids possess the trademark multi-chambered fore-gut adapted for cellulolytic fermentation and digestion.
Thus, they are obligate herbivores, which is also reflected by their hypsodont and selenodont tooth morphology. Their upper incisors are absent and their upper canines are either reduced or absent. Instead of upper incisors, bovids have an area of tough, thickened tissue known as the dental pad, which provides a surface for gripping plant materials.
The lower incisors project forward and are joined by modified canines that emulate the incisors. Their modified incisors are followed by a long toothless gap known as a diastema.
The distinguishing characteristic of the Bovidae family is their unbranching horns. The horns originate from a bony core known as the the cornual process os cornu of the frontal bone and are covered in a thick keratinized sheath. Horns are not shed like the antlers of cervids and most grow continuously.
Except for Indian four-horned antelopes , horns occur in pairs and in a fascinating array of unique forms from curved daggers in mountain goat to the thick, rippled coils of greater kudu. Bovids exhibit a wide range of sizes and pelage coloration and patterns. For example, gaurs have a maximum shoulder height of 3. Forest and bush species tend to have shorter limbs and more developed hindquarters and cryptic pelage that helps them blend into their surroundings.
Open habitat species have long, forelimbs that increase stride length and occasionally bold color patterns or stripes. These adaptations help bovids evade potential predators through the various mechanisms of hiding cryptic coloration , escaping increased stride length , or confusion striped pelage.
Most bovids are sexually dimorphic. Males always have horns , which are used in ritualized fighting during the mating season. The horns of males tend to be more complex in design and more robust than those of females, which tend to be straighter, thinner, and simpler in design.
This could be the result of differing life history strategies or the physiological cost of growing horns. Larger species are more likely to defend themselves against potential predators, and smaller species tend to retreat when threatened.
In addition to sexual dimorphism in morphological characteristics, males also have better developed scent-glands than females, which are reduced or absent in species from the subfamily Bovinae. Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; female larger; male larger; sexes shaped differently; ornamentation. Bovids are an important food source for a variety of natural predators, and in Eastern and Southern Africa bovids are the primary food source for many pradator species including lions and cheetahs.
On the African continent nearly all bovids are vulnerable to predation by lions and African wild dogs , but young, old and sick individuals are particularly susceptible. Leopards , spotted hyenas , cheetahs, Nile crocodiles , and side-striped jackals are also major predators of smaller bovid species. In North America, bovids are vulnerable to predation by grey wolves , brown bears , and cougar.
Packs of wolves and adult bears are typically the only predators capable of taking down the largest bovids in North America, like American bison. On the continent of Asia, grey wolves and tigers , are predators of bovids. Leopards , dholes and mugger crocodiles are also capable of taking bovids as prey. There are some cases of Komodo dragons consuming goats and even water buffalo.
Many predators like wild dogs and large cats are notorious for taking domesticated livestock, including domestic goats , domestic sheep , and cattle. Bovids are formidable opponents and are capable of putting up an incredible fights against their predators.
Strength in numbers, dangerous horns, powerful kicks, speed, and in some cases, sheer size are more than enough to deter most predation attempts.
Muskox form tight knit circles of adults around their young , making an impenetrable wall against potential predators. Cape buffalo have been known to charge and kill lions. Many species of bovid are extremely fastest and use their speed to out maneuver predatory pursuers. Forest dwelling bovids, such as Bongo antelope have cryptic coats to help camouflage themselves in densely vegetated habitats.
Most bovids are polygynous, and in some of these species males exhibit delayed maturation.
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