Crawshay’s Defassa waterbuck
( Rhodesian defassa waterbuck )
- Kobus ellipsiprymnus crawshayi
- IUCN Status: Near Threatened
- Trend: decreasing
General Information
The Crawshey’s defassa waterbuck is one of two waterbuck found in Zambia, the Crawshey’s defassa waterbuck and the Ellipsen waterbuck. The main difference being that the Crawshey’s defassa waterbuck stands shorter, has a longer tail and has a white dot or lump of hair around its rump than the Ellipsen waterbuck which has a white hollow ring of hair on its rump.
Description
Crawsheys defassa waterbuck have a white spot or lump on their rump. Their coat is a long-haired, often shaggy brown-gray that emits a smelly, greasy secretion thought to be for waterproofing and its colour varies from brown to grey. They have ‘U’ shaped, long, spiral horns, present only on males and are curved backward, then forward 55 – 99 cm long
Fun Facts
The Crawshay’s waterbuck is a striking, shaggy-coated antelope endemic to Zambia and Malawi, distinguished from other waterbuck by its darker coat, reduced white rump ring, and unique musky scent. Their musk deters lions—predators usually only take young or sick individuals.
Ecology & Behaviour
The waterbuck cannot tolerate dehydration in hot weather, and thus inhabits areas close to sources of water. Predominantly a grazer, the waterbuck is mostly found moving in fairly big herds near dambos and on aquatic grassland but always close to woodland or thicket. In equatorial regions, breeding takes place throughout the year, but births are at their peak in the rainy season. Hyenas, lions, and leopards are the major predators, but crocodiles, hunting dogs and cheetahs also take waterbuck.
Distribution & Habitat
The Crawshey’s defassa waterbuck can be found in Zambia, from the upper Zambezi River, kafue national park and eastward towards the Muchinga escarpment (which is a southern extension of the Great Rift Valley). Also in adjoining parts of Katanga Province in Congo (Kinshasa). The Ellipsen’s distribution slightly overlaps that of the typical defassa and that of the Crawshay defassa in the Rift Valley in Zambia.
Diet
The waterbuck cannot tolerate dehydration in hot weather, and thus inhabits areas close to sources of water. Predominantly a grazer, the waterbuck is mostly found moving in fairly big herds near dambos and on aquatic grassland but always close to woodland or thicket. In equatorial regions, breeding takes place throughout the year, but births are at their peak in the rainy season. Hyenas, lions, and leopards are the major predators, but crocodiles, hunting dogs and cheetahs also take waterbuck.
Reproduction
The waterbuck cannot tolerate dehydration in hot weather, and thus inhabits areas close to sources of water. Predominantly a grazer, the waterbuck is mostly found moving in fairly big herds near dambos and on aquatic grassland but always close to woodland or thicket. In equatorial regions, breeding takes place throughout the year, but births are at their peak in the rainy season. Hyenas, lions, and leopards are the major predators, but crocodiles, hunting dogs and cheetahs also take waterbuck.
Conservation
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists the waterbuck as a “Near Threatened” (NT) species.
Interaction with Humans
Large populations being eliminated from their habitats due to poaching and human settlement. Scientists with the ICIPE have developed tsetse-fly-repellant collars for cattle based on the smell of the waterbuck which is so unpleasant that it repels predators and assists in water-proofing the body when the animal dives into water.
