Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Southern Lechwe

Kobus leche

Near Threatened

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

The lechwe is an antelope entirely adapted to living with its legs in water. Its hooves are long, pointed and widely splayed, and its legs are coated in a water-repellent substance that lets it run at speed through shallow water, something no land predator can follow. It lives on the floodplains of the Okavango, the Kafue and the Bangweulu, in herds that move with the pulse of the floods. Dams and the draining of wetlands are its chief threat.

Weight

60 kg – 130 kg

Size

1.3 m – 1.8 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

FreshwaterGrasslandHerbivore Diurnal In herds Near Threatened Freshwater Grassland Mammal

5countries 8parks86same family

Fun facts

GeneralIts long hooves and water-repellent legs let it run through water.
It flees towards the water rather than onto dry land: its long, water-repellent legs let it run through marshes where lions and African wild dogs bog down and fall behind.
Its populations depend on the annual flood pulse: when a dam disrupts that cycle, as happened on the Zambian Kafue, the herd collapses within a few years even though the wetland is still there.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Seasonal floodplains and wetlands of southern Africa, such as the Okavango Delta
Size at birth: Precocial: on its feet within half an hour, although it stays hidden for the first few weeks
Sexual maturity: 2.5 years
Gestation / incubation: 7.5 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

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