Cheetahs and leopards are the main predators of reedbucks. During the dry season, when they are more noticeable, predation increases. During this time they are also a prey source for wild dogs and lions. Because young reedbucks are "hidders" they are preyed upon by pythons and other small carnivores. Reedbucks have excellent hearing and use this as their main defense strategy. They stay completely still, hidden in the tall grasses using their camouflage coloration. They stay until the threat is about ten meters away and then they leap up, flashing their white cottony tail as they flea. As they pronk (high jump) away, they make loud, wheezing whistling sounds that emanate from their nose.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
Redunca arundinum is the largest of the three reedbuck species. On average, males weigh about 68 kg and females weigh about 48 kg. Animals range in length from 134 to 167 cm. Color in southern reedbucks is extremely variable. They can have a light yellowish brown to a gray brown coat. They have a white underside and chin with light tan streaks on the sides of the head and white rings around the eyes. There are white and black markings on the forelegs. The tail is bushy with a fluffy, white underside. Only males have horns, which emerge around the sixth month of life. The horns are strongly ridged, growing to be 30 to 45 cm in length, and form a "V". As described by Nowak (1995), they jut from the head first pointing backwards gently, then curve upward and extend out at the tip. There is a bare glandular spot in both males and females below the ears.
Range mass: 39 to 80 kg.
Average mass: 58 kg.
Range length: 134 to 167 cm.
Average length: 150 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger; ornamentation
The average lifespan of common reedbucks is between 10 and 12 years. There have not been many studies on longevity in reedbucks. Bohor reedbucks have been known to live in captivity for 18 years.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 10 to 12 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 10.0 years.
The habitat of R. arundinum consists of marshy areas that have an abundance of water and tall grasses.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland
Wetlands: marsh
Other Habitat Features: riparian
Southern reedbucks, Redunca arundinum, are found across much of south central Africa. They are found in southern Congo and in southern Tanzania, throughout Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and in the northern part of South Africa. Originally, reedbucks inhabited moister areas in the southern savannas of Africa. The northern limit of their range seems to be the edge of the Miombo woodlands. They are common along seasonally flooded valleys near the Ugalla Malayarasi River system.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian
Redunca arundinum is known as the common reedbuck.
A loud whistle is sounded in cases of surprise, fear, and greeting. The whistle is made by expelling air out of the nostrils. During friendly whistling, the reedbucks head is erect, ears point forward, and the tail hangs freely. During a call of surprise or fear, the reedbuck either stands very still with ears and head erect, or pronks violently hoping to scare off the intruder which it normally cannot see. While jumping or pronking there is often a popping noise that is heard that seems to come from the inguinal region which releases and scent marker.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: scent marks
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
This is a very habitat dependent species. Habitat loss and degradation are the main factors influencing the survival of this species. Human settlement may encroach on their territory as well.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
None known
Reedbucks are considered a game animal in much of South Africa.
Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material
Reedbucks play an important role in the diets of many large and small predators in Africa. They are a staple food for cheetah and, during the dry season, the leopard as well.
Redunca arundinum feeds exclusively on grasses, forbs, and sedges. They hold a special ecological niche by consuming grasses that are no shorter than they are. This lessens competition greatly. They seem to prefer young grasses and tender shoots of reeds, but do not limit themselves. They only consume leaves during the winter months when the nutritional value of grasses is greatly reduced. Being foregut fermentors, grazing is followed by ruminating for a few minutes to an hour. They are mainly nocturnal except during the dry season when they may also be seen grazing during the midday. The common reedbuck is very dependent on water and according to Jungius (1971) the reedbucks found in the Kruger National Park during the dry season drink at least once a day and do not venture farther than one and a half to two km away from the water holes.
Plant Foods: leaves
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
During mating, females perform a dance, which involves long, lingering jumps (called pronking) with the tail curved upward. During every jump, scented air is released from inguinal pockets, producing a popping noise. During courtship, a male investigates the female's genitals, and after sampling her urine with his nose, copulation occurs. Males will defend females from other males.
Mating System: monogamous
In R. arundinum breeding occurs throughout the year with a peak observed between December and May. Generally, one young is born after a 7 or 8 month gestation period. Females, when well nourished, reach sexual maturity at about two and males become mature about a year later. A few weeks before parturition, the female leaves the male and drives off young from previous years. At birth the lamb weighs only 4.5 kg. It stays hidden for about 2 months in vegetation. During this time the lamb presents itself once a day for nursing and cleaning. This takes between ten and thirty minutes. After the two months of concealment, the lamb joins its mother, but the two stay away from the male for another two months. After this, the family reunites. Females are usually sent away during their second year whereas males can stay with the family until adulthood (their third year). This is when the males begin searching for their own territory.
Breeding interval: Reedbucks breed throughout the year, with the interval depending on the nutritional status of the mother.
Breeding season: Mating occurs throughout the year but there seems to be a peak in the wet season.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range gestation period: 7 to 8 months.
Average time to independence: Unknown months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 24 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 48 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 4500 g.
Average number of offspring: 1.
The mother reedbuck visits her offspring once a day to nurse for the first few months of its life. After this, the lamb remains with the mother. The mother and offspring keep to themselves for another few months before rejoining the male. The female reedbuck drives off her young once she is ready to give birth again.
Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care
The southern reedbuck, rietbok[2] or common reedbuck (Redunca arundinum) is a diurnal antelope typically found in southern Africa. It was first described by Pieter Boddaert, a Dutch physician and naturalist, in 1785. It is placed in the genus Redunca and family Bovidae. This antelope has an average mass of 58 kg (128 lb) and a body length of about 134–167 cm (53–66 in).
It was first described by Pieter Boddaert, a Dutch physician and naturalist, in 1785. It is placed in the genus Redunca and family Bovidae. It gets its name from two Latin words: reduncas (meaning bent backwards and curved, while the horns are bent forwards) and arundo (harundo) (meaning a reed; hence arundinum, pertaining to reeds).
The southern reedbuck is larger than the other species in Redunca, namely R. redunca (Bohor reedbuck) and R. fulvorufula (mountain reedbuck).[3] It stands 80–90 cm (31–35 in) at the shoulder.[4] Females weigh 48 kg (106 lb), while the males weigh 68 kg (150 lb).[3] It has distinctive dark lines running down the front of each of its forelegs and lower hindlegs and whitish rings around the eyes.[5] It has a lifespan of 10 years.[6]
The coat is silky and almost woolly.[7] The color of its coat ranges between light- and greyish-brown, and may be lighter on the neck and chest.[6] A small, black, bare glandular patch can be noticed at the base of each ear. White fur covers the underparts and the areas near the lips and chin. The tail is white underside, and appears short and bushy.[5] Southern reedbucks measure an average of 85 cm (33 in) at the shoulder. Females lack horns. Males bear forward-curving horns, about 35–45 cm (14–18 in) long, with the base having a distinct band of pale, rubbery tissue.[5]
Southern reedbucks live in pairs or alone.[5] Sometimes, they form herds consisting of about 20 members. They prefer to lie in grass or reed beds in the heat of the day and feed during sunrise and sunset, or sometimes even at night. Old reedbucks are permanently territorial, with territories around 35-60 hectares, and generally live with a single female, preventing contact with rival males. Females and young males perform an 'appeasement dance' for older males.[6] During the dance, the bucks run around speedily and take considerably long jumps, with the tail curled up and scented air being released from a pocket in the groin at every bounce, making a popping sound. Within this territory, it is active all the time in summer, but it is nocturnal in the wet season. It regularly uses paths to reach good sites to rest, graze, and drink water. Average lifetime home ranges have been estimated as 123 ha for females and 74 ha for males.
Their main predators include lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, Cape hunting dogs, pythons, and crocodiles.[2][6] They can camouflage themselves in the grasslands due to their coats, which are almost the same color. If startled or attacked, they stand still, then either hide or flee with an odd rocking-horse movement, and cautiously look back to ensure the danger is gone, generally.[2] They use vocalizations like a shrill whistle through their nostrils and a clicking noise to alert others about danger.[6]
As a herbivore, the reedbuck mainly feeds on grasses. It also eats herbs and reeds. It never enters into water, though it inhabits places with water sources. It needs to drink water every few days to several times a day during the dry season.
The southern reedbuck breeds almost all the time of the year, although most matings occur during the hot and wet season. Females reach sexual maturity when they are two years old, when they leave their parent's territory. Males, which reach maturity at a slightly older age, may remain with the family group until their third year. A single young is born per birth after a gestation period of seven to eight months,[2] and remains amongst the dense and tall grass cover in which it was born for the next two months.[5] The female does not stay with her young, but instead visits it for just 10 to 30 minutes each day to nurse it.
Southern reedbucks have a wide distribution, stretching from Gabon and Tanzania to South Africa.[8] Their range seems to extend to the Miombo woodlands on the north.[3] They inhabit moist grasslands with tall grass, reeds, sufficient cover, and water nearby, such as floodplains, pastures, woodlands, and valleys.[5][7] They are common in seasonally flooded valleys near the Malagarasi River.[3] They also occur in the southern savannas of Tchibanga and Ndende (in Zaire).[9]
It is native to Angola, Botswana, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[1] It also occurs in protected areas and areas with low to moderate levels of settlement, including significant populations on private land in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. In the Republic of Congo, it formerly occurred locally in the savannahs of southern Congo, but it is probably extinct there by now. Its presence is doubted in Lesotho. Major populations occur in areas such as Selous National Park (Tanzania), Kafue National Park (Zambia), Nyika National Park (Malawi), Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique), Okavango National Park (Botswana) and Kruger National Park and Eastern Shores (South Africa).[1]
Southern reedbucks remain widespread, but they have been eliminated from some parts of their former range (such as the Congo) by the spread of settlement which has led to habitat destruction and hunting for meat and trophies. It is reportedly one of the easiest antelopes to approach and kill. About 60% of all southern reedbucks are thought to occur in protected areas and about 13% on private lands.[1] This combination of habitat loss and overexploitation has resulted in the species becoming rare in most of South Africa, and reduced populations to precariously low levels in west and central Africa; those in Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo are feared to be almost extinct.[1]
Parasites of reedbucks include the filaria Setaria graberi.[10]
The southern reedbuck, rietbok or common reedbuck (Redunca arundinum) is a diurnal antelope typically found in southern Africa. It was first described by Pieter Boddaert, a Dutch physician and naturalist, in 1785. It is placed in the genus Redunca and family Bovidae. This antelope has an average mass of 58 kg (128 lb) and a body length of about 134–167 cm (53–66 in).
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