Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Lesser Kudu

Tragelaphus imberbis

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The lesser kudu is an elegant antelope of the arid scrub of East Africa, smaller and more slender than the greater kudu. It has a grey body with a dozen fine vertical white stripes, two white patches on the throat and tan-coloured legs. Only the males carry horns, in an open spiral. It is extremely unobtrusive: it stands motionless in the scrub and only bolts at the last moment, in leaps of more than two metres. It has virtually no need to drink.

Weight

56 kg – 108 kg

Size

1.1 m – 1.8 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Crepuscular

Active above all at dawn and dusk.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

SavannaDesertHerbivore Crepuscular Near Threatened Savanna Desert Mammal

43countries 8parks86same family

Fun facts

GeneralVery shy: it freezes in the scrub rather than running.
It leaps more than two and a half metres vertically from a standing start, an ability it uses to cross thorn scrub instead of going round it.
It does not drink: it meets its water needs from the leaves and fruit it browses, which lets it occupy parts of the Horn of Africa where there is no surface water for months on end.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Dense thorn scrub and dry acacia woodland of the Horn of Africa and East Africa
Sexual maturity: 16.6 months
Gestation / incubation: 7.7 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragelaphus_imberbis