Overview
Larger than the other subspecies of sable. Adult males are glossy black, with a face that is largely white except for a wide black blaze from forehead to nose and a black stripe from eye to muzzle. Adult females south of the Zambezi River also turn blackish, though they tend to be lighter than males. Females north of the Zambezi tend to be reddish brown rather than black.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Hippotragus
- Species
- Hippotragus niger
Habitat
Wooded savannah. Distribution- Southeastern Angola; Zambia except in the far west; southeastern Katanga Province in Congo (K); Malawi; western and central Tanzania; Mozambique; the Caprivi Strip in Namibia; northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, and the northern Transvaal in South Africa.
Diet
This animal both grazes and browses based on availability.
Behavior
These animals are most active in the mornings and evenings, and are structured with territorial males and herds of about 10-30 animals, led by the dominant male. These antelope tend not to be as wary as many other antelope, stopping soon after being startled, but if significant pressure is applied their habitats adapt accordingly.
Hunting
Spot & stalk methods. Tracking can be succesful as this is one of the heavier antelopes, and will leave a much better track than a mid-size antelope. A caliber of .300 and up is preferred, with the .270 caliber being enough gun but at the lower range of acceptable rifles for Sable. A .338-.416 would be the better caliber range.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.