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| Description | This hartebeest has peculiarly shaped horns and a long face. The colour is a glossy reddish-brown. the blaze on the face, the tail and the outside of the legs are black, while the buttocks are light brown at the back. The shoulders are high and humped and the back slopes downwards. The Red Hartebeest can be distinguished from Lichtenstein's Hartebeest by the reddish-brown colouring, the black blaze on the face and the black legs. The horns of the Tsessebe have a different shape and their colouring is not as reddish-brown. | |
| Sexual dimorphism | Females are smaller than males. | |
| Habitat | Open areas or grassy plains in dry savannah and semi-arid areas. | |
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Habits |
They form herds of 10 to 20 animals or in some cases up to a few hundred. Old males are solitary or form small herds. Other herds consist of females and young with a male as leader. They usually graze early in the morning and late in the afternoon. They have an acute sense of smell and hearing but their eyesight is poor. They can run very fast, galloping gracefully. They are very inquisitive - they will run a short distance, stop and look back, and may even come closer again. | |
| Voice | A warning sneezing-snort. | |
| Breeding | A single calf is born during October to December after a gestation period of ± 8 months. | |
| Food | Exclusively grass, especially red grass. Can go long periods without water. | |
| Mass |
♂
137 - 180 kg ♀ 105 - 136 kg |
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| Life expectancy | ± 13 years | |
| Length of horns |
Average ± 52 cm Record 74,93 cm |
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| Enemies | Spotted Hyena, Leopard, Lion, Hunting Dog | |
| Also known as |
Rooihartbees (Afrikaans) Cape Hartebeest Alcelaphus buselaphus |
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