Sable antelope have no negative affects on humans.
Lions seldom attack adults, because of their size and the formidable fighting abilities of these antelope. Humans are the only real threat to adult sable antelope and their populations (Spinage 1986). Young Hippotragus niger are susceptible to predation by lions, leopards, hyenas, African hunting dogs and crocodiles.
Known Predators:
This stunning antelope rivals even the most handsome kudus and is a popular zoo animal. Hippotragus niger has a powerful, robust build and a thick neck outlined by a vertical mane atop sturdy legs. Males and females are strikingly similar until 3 years old, when males become darker and develop majestic horns. Males weigh around 238 kilograms at a height of 116-142 centimeters. Females weigh 220 kilograms and are slightly shorter than males. The horns are massive and more curved in males reaching lengths of 81-165 centimeters, while females' horns are only 61-102 centimeters in length. Coloration in bulls is black, females and young are chestnut except in southern populations, where females turn brown-black. Most sable antelope have white “eyebrows”, a rostrum sectioned into cheek stripes, white belly and rump patch. Young under 2 months typically are light brown and have slight markings (Estes 1993).
Range mass: 220 to 238 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sable antelope in the wild can live up to 16 years and over 19 years in captivity ( http://www.marwell.org.uk/anim-25.htm).
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 17.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 19.8 years.
Favorable habitat is a mixture of savanna woodlands and grassland. Woodlands consist of fire-resistant, broadleaf deciduous trees scattered over an under story of sparse grasses that are grazed during the rainy season. Dry season feeding grounds are grassland areas that were once flooded, then burned, subsequently producing new growth. If possible, Hippotragus niger avoids extensive open lands (Estes 1993).
Hippotragus niger lives in the southern savanna of Africa from southeastern Kenya, eastern Tanzania, and Mozambique to Angola and southern Zaire, mainly in the Miombo Woodland Zone. Good places to view sable antelope include- Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kenya; Ruaha National Park, Selous Grassland Reserve, Tanzania; Kafue and Mweru- Wantipa National Park, Zambia; Matetsi Safari Area, Hwange, Zambezi, and Kazuma Pan NP, Zimbabwe; Kruger National Park, South Africa (Estes 1993).
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Typically, sable antelope are specialized grazers feeding on foliage and herbs, especially those growing on termite mounds. During the dry season they are less reluctant to browse (Estes 1993). One of the reasons for declining antelope numbers could be their very specific feeding pattern. Typically they will feed on grasses (up to ninety percent of their diet) at heights of 40-140 millimeters from the ground taking only the leaf. In a savannah setting, sable antelope are the last to feed on the new grasses available during the late dry season when food availability is vital (Spinage 1986). In the paddock setting, where grasses are tall (above 140mm), feed is high in protein and low in fiber, and sable antelope quickly lose weight. In a particular enclosure study, sable antelope fed primarily on Brachiaria nigropedata, which only had a frequency occurrence of 3.9% across the study area (Wilson and Hirst 1977). The correlation of neck length, angle of the jaws and selective feeding habits serves to separate Hippotragus niger from other grazers and suggests why they are habitat limited (Spingage 1986). Water is visited at least every other day and no sable antelope will travel more then 2 miles from a watering hole or river. Salt licks are visited periodically and they will chew on bones to get trace essential elements not present in mineral-deficient soil (Estes 1993).
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Sable antelope help to cycle grass/plant nutrients into other areas and the young are prey for large predators.
Sable antelope are found in parks all across eastern and southern Africa offering an attraction to the ecotourism industry. Sable antelope are prized trophy animals to many big-game hunters and some are willing to spend thousands of dollars to hunt them. However, declining sable antelope numbers calls into question the advisability of hunting them.
Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material; ecotourism
IUCN lists Hippotragus niger as lower risk and conservation dependent, but declining numbers could lead to a threatened listing in the near future. The subspecies Hippotragus niger variani is listed as endangered due to habitat loss and trophy hunting. Studies in the past show that a complex blend of factors such as disease, malnutrition, and habitat quality compounded by interspecific competition and attempts to manipulate populations have limited sable antelope numbers. Historic data has demonstrated their tendency to be dense in some regions and practically nonexistent in others, even in well managed national parks (Wilson and Hirst 1977).
US Federal List: endangered
CITES: appendix i; no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Dominant males defend harems of females and their immediate foraging territory extending 300 to 500 meters out from the herd. These dominant males mate with females in their harem and vigorously defend them against intruding males (see behavior section). Males may drop to their knees and engage in horn wrestling in fights. Fatalities from these fights are rare.
Mating System: polygynous
Hippotragus niger females usually undergo only one estrous cycle per breeding season that last from May to July, with a peak mating in June. Gestation lasts 8 to 9 months, allowing for birth at the end of rains. Normally one calf is born during the end of the rainy season when long grass is available for cover. The mother stays concealed for the first week of the calf’s three-week hiding phase. After the first week, the mother joins a maternal group that the calf will eventually join. Yet, the calf will seek out the mother only for nursing. In fact, the mother-offspring bond is so feeble, even small calves will spend days apart in a divided herd. Weaning takes place six months after birth, usually towards the end of the dry season when “sourveld” vegetation is lowest in protein and other nutrients (Wilson and Hirst 1977). Females start to breed at 2.5 years old and congregate in social groups that are a rank hierarchy based on seniority. Males are subordinate to females until they are bigger. At 3 to 4 years of age males are evicted from female social groups and live in bachelor herds until they reach sexual maturity at 5 years (Estes 1993).
Breeding season: Mating occurs from May to July, birthing occurs from January to April.
Range number of offspring: 1 (low) .
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range gestation period: 8.63 to 9.07 months.
Average gestation period: 8.87 months.
Range weaning age: 6 to 8 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2.5 to 5 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2.5 to 5 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); viviparous
Average birth mass: 16375 g.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Females care for their young primarily by nursing them and hiding them from predators. Young are weaned at 6 months of age.
Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care ; post-independence association with parents
A truly good-looking member of the bovidae family is the sable antelope (Hippotragus niger). Mature males are a striking jet-black in colour, with long ridged horns curving towards their backs, ending in smooth sharp tips (Mills and Hess, 1997). Although slightly smaller than the closely related Roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus), they weigh in at an average of 230 kg, standing about 1.35 m tall at the shoulder (Wilson and Herst, 1977; Skinner and Chimimba, 2005).
This mammal species inhabit open wooded savannah, preferably close a water source (Mills and Hess, 1997; Thompson and Monfort, 1999). Male sable antelope are predominantly solitary, whilst females are found in small herds consisting of a dominant female and recent offspring (although sometimes accompanied by a single male), whereas young males often travel in small bachelor herds (Jarman, 1974). They are predominantly grazers, feeding on fresh growth at a relatively high level off the ground (Wilson and Herst, 1977; Skinner and Chimimba, 2005).
Females are sexually mature around 2 years of age and reproduction occurs when food is most abundant, with females typically leaving the herd to calve (Skinner and Chimimba, 2005). There is a loose association between mothers and calves, with mothers often travelling up to 2 km away from the young, hidden foal, but the cryptic coloration and lack of odour serves to make the foal almost invisible during this vulnerable period of its life (Wilson and Herst, 1977).
Their distribution ranges from central Tanzania, down to the north of South Africa and extends west to the south-eastern corners of Angola (for map, see http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=10170). They are listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with large numbers reported in protected areas. There is an estimated 75,000 wild sable antelope, with numbers increasing on private game farms and conservancies.
The sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) is a large antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separated population in Angola.[2]
The sable antelope shares the genus Hippotragus with the extinct bluebuck (H. leucophaeus) and the roan antelope (H. equinus), and is a member of the family Bovidae.[3]
In 1996, an analysis of mitochondrial DNA extracted from a mounted specimen of the bluebuck showed that it is outside the clade containing the roan and sable antelopes. The cladogram below shows the position of the sable antelope among its relatives, following the 1996 analysis:[4]
blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi)
bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygarus)
bluebuck (Hippotragus leucophaeus)†extinct
roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus)
sable antelope (Hippotragus niger)
Hipotragus niger has four subspecies:
In English "great sable antelope", "sable" or the Swahili name mbarapi are sometimes used. An archaic term used in accounts of hunting expeditions in South Africa is "potaquaine";[11] the origin and exact application are unclear. Local names include swartwitpens (Afrikaans), kgama or phalafala (Sotho), mBarapi or palahala (Swahili), kukurugu, kwalat or kwalata (Tswana), ngwarati (Shona), iliza (Xhosa), impalampala (Zulu) and umtshwayeli (Ndebele).[12]
The sable antelope is sexually dimorphic, with the male heavier and about one-fifth taller than the female.[13] The head-and-body length is typically between 190 and 255 cm (75 and 100 in).[14] Males reach about 117–140 cm (46–55 in) at the shoulder, while females are slightly shorter. Males typically weigh 235 kg (518 lb) and females 220 kg (490 lb).[15] The tail is 40–75 cm (16–30 in) long, with a tuft at the end.[13][14]
The sable antelope has a compact and robust build, characterized by a thick neck and tough skin.[13] It has a well-developed and often upright mane on its neck, as well as a short mane on the throat.[15] Its general colouration is rich chestnut to black. Females and juveniles are chestnut to dark brown, while males begin darkening and turn black after three years. However, in southern populations, females have a brown to black coat. Calves less than two months old are a light tan and show faint markings.[15] The underparts, cheek, and chin are all white, creating a great contrast with the dark back and flanks.[13] Long, white hairs are present below the eyes, and a wide, black stripe runs over the nose.[14]
Both sexes have ringed horns which arch backwards. In females, these can reach 61–102 cm (24–40 in), while in males they are 81–165 cm (32–65 in) long.[15] The average lifespan of the sable antelope is 19 years in the wild and 22 years in captivity.[16]
Juvenile animal in captivity
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Young bull at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
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The Wooded Savanna: Sable diorama at the Milwaukee Public Museum
Sable antelopes live in savanna woodlands and grasslands during the dry season,[17] where they eat mid-length grasses and leaves. They visit salt licks and have been known to chew bones to collect minerals. They are diurnal, but are less active during the heat of the day. They form herds of 10 to 30 females and calves led by a single male, called a bull. Males fight among themselves; they drop to their knees and use their horns.[18]
In each herd, the juvenile males are exiled from the herd around 3 years old. All of the female calves remain, however. When the herd gets too large, it divides into smaller groups of cows and their young. These groups form new herds, once again with only one adult bull. The young males, which have been separated from the herd, associate in "bachelor groups" of up to 12 individuals. Among the bachelors, the most dominant is the first individual to join a new group of females when the position is open. Seldom, during their fights for dominance, they are able to inflict bodily harm to any contenders.[18]
When sable antelopes are threatened by predators, including lions, they confront their attackers and fight-back aggressively. Using their scimitar-shaped horns that can reach to its vulnerable rump area (which is generally preferred by predators), they can impale their enemy. There are instances where their predators have died during such fights. In the 1950 to 1970's the antelope's numbers were reduced severely by tsetse fly pest outbreaks.
The grassland habitat of the sable antelope is being reduced by habitat destruction for agricultural development. Sable antelope are important to their habitats as grazers and browsers. They are also important as prey for carnivores.[18]
The giant sable antelope's breeding season is seasonal and births coincide with the rainy season. After a gestation period of around 9 months, the female gives birth to a single young. A newborn calf is born with a sandy coloured coat, which helps it to camouflage. The calf will lie hidden away for at least 10 days while being nursed by its mother.
Young sable antelope are weaned at around 8 months and will become sexually mature at between 2 and 3 years. As the calf develops, its coat will darken and it will achieve its status within the herd. The life span of a giant sable antelope is around 17 years.[19]
Sable antelopes are herbivores. They are specialized browsing animals that feed upon foliage, mid-length grasses, leaves and herbs, particularly those that grow on termite mounds. Tree leaves make up 90% of their diet. They are diurnal animals, meaning they are most active in the daylight, but less active during the hottest part of the day. Like other bovids, they also have a ruminant digestive system.[19] Because water is essential to the sable antelope's survival, it travels every two to four days to drink at water sources.[20] The sable antelope presumably decreases its risk of being eaten by predators by staying away from feeding areas with high numbers of other grazers, but at the cost of prolonged and strenuous journeys to water. Use of specific water sources in particular regions is related to the presence of calcium and magnesium salts in the water, allowing the antelope to consume large amounts of minerals while meeting their water needs.[21]
The Sable Antelope is featured on the Rhodesian flag and coat of arms.
The sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) is a large antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separated population in Angola.
