Ellipsen Waterbuck
( common waterbuck or ringed waterbuck )
- Kobus ellipsiprymnus ellipsiprymnus
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- Trend: decreasing
General Information
The ellipsen waterbuck is one of two waterbuck found in Zambia, the Ellipsen waterbuck and the Defassa waterbuck. The main difference being that the Ellipsen waterbuckt stands taller, has a shorter tail and has a white hollow ring of hair around its rump than the defassa waterbuck which has a white lump on its rump.
Description
The ellipsen waterbuck have a white ring 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 to 99 cm long
Fun Facts
The ellipsen waterbuck is a robust, semi-aquatic antelope distinguished by its iconic white “halo” rump ring and musky scent. This subspecies (also called the common waterbuck) is less localized than its Crawshay’s cousin but equally tied to water-rich habitats.
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
Found in east of the Rift Valley, in the middle Zambezi and Luangwa valleys in Zambia. They are also found in Ethiopia(Webi Shebeli river valley), Botswana, Namibia(east of the Kwando River in the Caprivi Strip) , Somalia(Juba and Webi Shebeli river valleys), Kenya(east of the Rift Valley) , Tanzania(east of the Rift Valley) , Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa (eastern and northern Transvaal).
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 of least concern (LC).
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.
