Table of Contents
Antelope Facts
What is unique about antelope?
Antelopes have extremely developed senses which help them detect predators while they still have time to escape. They are quick runners; some of them can reach up to 43 miles per hour. Largest antelope (Eland) is the slowest. Male antelopes are called bucks, females – does and young antelopes – calves.
What are antelopes known for?
Some antelope are famous for their massive herds, like the thousands of gnu making their annual migration across the African plains. Impalas, springbok, and saigas also form very large herds during migratory seasons when they are on the move to find the best food.
How fast can an antelope run?
How did antelope get its name?
The English word “antelope” first appeared in 1417 and is derived from the Old French antelop, itself derived from Medieval Latin ant(h)alopus, which in turn comes from the Byzantine Greek word ???????, anthlops, first attested in Eustathius of Antioch ( c.
How far can an antelope see?
Pronghorn have very large eyes and can see 320 degrees around. When a pronghorn is startled, they raise the hair on their rump and the white patch can be seen for miles.
How many antelopes are left in the world?
Current estimates show there to be less than 500 individuals left in the wild.
How many kinds of antelopes are there?
Globally, there are 91 species of antelopes with the majority native to Africa. You can also find antelopes on the Arabian Peninsula (Dorcas gazelle and Arabian oryx), Russia (Tibetan antelope and saiga), and India (blackbuck, chinkara, four-horned antelope, nilgai, and the Tibetan antelope).
Why do gazelles have horns?
Some gazelles compete for females by engaging in courtship displays with their horns. Although both the females and males of most gazelle species possess horns, only the males use them in an attempt to woo members of the opposite sex.
What’s the second fastest animal?
Pronghorn Antelope
The Pronghorn antelope is the second fasted land animal and at 98kph (60mph) can out-sprint predators.
Do cloud antelopes exist?
The simple answer is no. But it isn’t really one of those classic internet hoaxes either. This is actually a piece of art by artist CMWyvern. The Cloud Antelope is essentially a sort of posable doll.
Is an antelope a predator or prey?
Antelope Predators and Threats
Antelopes are some of the most common prey animals in Africa. They make a tempting meal for cheetahs, lions, hyenas, civets, pythons, and large birds. Because of the antelope’s incredible speed, many predators prefer to sneak up on them and pick off individual stragglers.
Do female antelope have horns?
Both males and females have a pair of short horns on the top of the head. The female’s horns are small, usually only a bump. In contrast, the males’ horns are around 10 to 12 inches long. They also have a unique shape, because unlike other ungulates, a pronghorn’s horns point backward.
What do you call a baby antelope?
A baby antelope is called a calf.
What is a female pronghorn called?
Hence its name: pronghorn. Female pronghorn (called does) also have horns, but they are much smaller. Pronghorn are the only animals in the world that have forked horns that shed each year!
Do antelope shed horns?
Horns are not shed and they grow throughout the life of an animal. The only animal that actually loses its horn annually is the pronghorn antelope. These antelope shed their horns but the boney core of the horn remains behind.
Why are antelopes endangered?
Unsustainable harvesting, whether for food or traditional medicine, and human encroachment on their habitat are the main threats facing antelopes, says Dr Philippe Chardonnet, Co-Chair of the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group.
Are antelopes endangered?
Are there gazelles in America?
There are 140 species of wild and domesticated animals in this family. They are found in Africa, Asia, North America, and Europe. The majority of the species in this family are found in Africa.
Do antelopes have tails?
They typically have a light, elegant figure, are slender, have graceful limbs, small cloven hoofs and a short tail. Antelopes have powerful hindquarters and, when startled, run with a peculiar bounding stride that makes them look as though they are bouncing over the terrain like a giant rabbit.
Which antelope herds up to 50?
The blackbuck or Indian antelope is sociable. The animals are in herds with 15 to 50 members together.
Are there antelope in America?
Pronghorns (aka antelope, speed goat, and Antilocapra americana) are the only living species in the family Antilocapridae and found solely in North America.
How does a gazelle sleep?
They sleep for short periods of about 5 minutes at a time, making up a total of a single hour per 24-hour day. Thomson’s gazelles display a unique tail motion, moving their tail side to side and resembling a windshield wiper.
How long does a gazelle live?
To keep her calves safe from predators, a female gazelle will hide her babies in tall grasses. While the young are still nursing, they stay with their mother’s herd. When they are ready to fend for themselves, male calves are moved to the male herd. Gazelles typically live 10 to 12 years.
Animal Facts – Antelope
