Overview
In the western part of their range, the coat is short and thin, and the color is gray without any bright rufous tinge. In the eastern part of their range, the coat is long and shaggy and a bright reddish brown color. There is a good deal of white on the face before the eyes, and a wide, white band across the throat. There is a solid white patch on the lower part of the rump below the tail.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Kobus
- Species
- Kobus ellipsiprymnus
Habitat
Woodlands, forests, and grasslands with nearby water sources. Distribution- Essentially west of the Great Rift Valley (and west of the Common waterbuck) in Ethiopia, southern and eastern Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, northeastern Congo (K), Rwanda, Burundi, and northwestern Tanzania. Its distribution slightly overlaps that of the Common waterbuck along the Rift Valley in Kenya and Tanzania.
Diet
The waterbuck's habitat furnishes them with a year-round source of food. Mainly grazers, they consume types of coarse grass seldom eaten by other grazing animals and occasionally browse leaves from certain trees and bushes.
Behavior
Although males do compete for and hold territories, the waterbuck is generally a quiet, sedentary animal. Like some other antelopes, the male does not mark his territory with dung or urine, as his presence and smell are apparently sufficient. He tries to retain females that wander into his area, but is seldom successful for long, since the females have large home ranges and, in herds of 5 to 25, are constantly crossing in and out of males territories. Waterbucks do not migrate or move great distances, so territories are usually held year round.
Hunting
When hunting waterbuck, good binoculars will be essential, as they can be spotted from quite some distance on the open grasslands and flood plains where they are most often found. While having excellent eyesight and hearing, the waterbuck is not the hardest African plains game to approach.
Conservation Status
Listed as Near Threatened by IUCN.