Overview
A large antelope somewhat resembling a greater kudu, though lacking the shoulder hump, and with much smaller horns. The coat is rather shaggy, the ears are large and the tail is bushy. The lateral hoofs are large and well-developed, probably having evolved as an aid to negotiating steep habitat. Coloration is sandy gray with several pale vertical stripes on the sides. There is a white chevron on the face, two white spots on the cheeks, white patches on throat and base of neck, and several white spots on the hindquarters. The short brown neck mane continues as a brown and white dorsal crest. The horns (males only) are long and heavy with two keels, and form 1-1/2 to 2 open spirals. They grow outward and upward, then pinch inward to form a bell, with tips that sometimes flare widely and sometimes continue straight up, depending largely upon the region. Females are three-fourths the size of males, hornless, lighter in color, and with a smoother coat. Specimens from the northern parts of their range (Chercher and Din Din mountains) tend to be somewhat larger and grayer than southern animals. Their horns are longer, and usually have widely flaring tips. Southern specimens (Arussi and Bale mountains) tend to be smaller and browner, with shorter horns and straighter tips.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Tragelaphus
Habitat
Dense forest at high altitudes.
Diet
Primarily a browser, the mountain nyala may switch to grazing occasionally. It feeds on low-height herbs, bushes, shrubs and general foliage. They might even eat lichens, ferns and aquatic plants. Grasses are specially preferred during the early wet season. They pick up fallen leaves and use their horns to reach higher branches. Favoured species include Artemsia afra (sage brush), Hypericum revolutum, Kniphofia foliosa, Solanum sessilistellatum and Hagenia abyssinica leaves. They prefer Alchemilla rotti, Helichrysum splendidum and lower foliage of Lobelia rynchopetalum.
Behavior
Adult males are usually solitary or in pairs; females and young form small herds. Shy and retiring. Active mainly during evening, night and early morning, seeking thick cover during midday. Senses of smell and hearing are very good, eyesight is fair.
Hunting
The Oromo hunt them for a day close to Easter, when all able-bodied men set out on horses for a hunt. The usual hunting method is by glassing across forested basins, followed by a very long shot (300-450 yds or 275-410 m, is normal) or by an attempted stalk to closer range. The altitude is about 9,000-10,000 ft (2,700-3,000 m), the terrain is usually steep, with thick cover and poor visibility, and conditions are often cold and wet. Hunting in the high-altitude (12,000-13,000 ft, or 3,600-4,000 m) heather zone of the Arussi and Bale mountains is like mountain hunting anywhere. There is a great deal of glassing, for the cover is frequently higher than a man's head and offers innumerable hiding places. When a shootable bull is spotted, the stalk must be accomplished as quickly as possible for the mountain nyala seldom stays put for long. Usually two weeks or more must be allotted for this hunt, with success by no means certain.
Conservation Status
Listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Major threats to the survival of the mountain nyala include illegal hunting, habitat destruction, encroachment by livestock, predation of calves by dogs, expansion of montane cultivation and construction at high altitudes.