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Eland - TRAGELAPHUS ORYX
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Eland": "Eland" is Afrikaans (South African Dutch) for "elk."
Location: Eastern and southern Africa
Habitat: Terrestrial. Savanna, plains; only rarely in open forests.
Description: The appearance is similar to that of an ox, both in terms of size and proportions. The basic color is a pale beige-brown, which tends to turn gray with age. On the shoulders there are a few inconspicuous white stripes. On the throat there is a dewlap, which runs down to the chest and has a tuft of black hairs on the lower part. On the back, there is a line of black hair, which follows the outline of the body. The large horns are slightly divergent, and curve slightly backward. They average 30 inches long, and make two complete spirals in the lower half. The female is smaller, and has lighter, but often longer horns. Length of head and body up to twelve feet, shoulder height six feet, and weight as high as one ton!
Behavior: The eland lives in large groups, usually of 25 to 70 individuals, but occasionally up to 200. These herds live in association with other herbivores including zebras and gemsbok. Old males tend to be solitary. It is diurnal, and feeds on leaves and tender branches, and will dig in the ground to unearth tubers and roots.
Reproduction: After a 250 to 270 day gestation, a single young is born. The females become sexually mature at five years, the males at four.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
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