Habitat: Savanna near water
Status: Least Concern
DAK Locale: Kidani Village
The waterbuck is a large antelope found in sub-Sahara Africa. Their coats are reddish brown as young adults and get progressively darker with age. This coloration is broken up by white on the chest and rump. Only males have horns, which can get long and spiral.
The animal prefers grasslands. Its name notwithstanding, the antelope does not live in water but near it. Its diet mostly consists of the long grasses that typically grow near rivers and swamps. It will go into the water to escape predators such as lions and hyenas. They are herd animals living in groups numbering as many 600. Males keep territories for food and mates.
Calves can be born throughout the year. Once born, the mother does it best to hide the calf from the numerous predators of the African plains. They will nurse for 6 to 8 months. Males, once weaned, begin to wander off and will create small bachelor herds until they can control their own territory. Young females tend to stay with their mother's herd. They are fully grown at about three years of age.
It is believed that there are about 200,000 of the animals left in this fairly wide range. In some areas, however, habitat loss and habitat fragmentation have put the waterbuck in decline.
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