Common eland
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The common eland (Taurotragus oryx), also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a large savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. An adult male is around Template:Cvt tall at the shoulder and can weigh up to Template:Cvt with a typical range of Template:Cvt. Females are around Template:Cvt tall and weigh Template:Cvt. It is the second-largest antelope in the world, being slightly smaller on average than the giant eland.<ref name=Pappas>Template:Cite journal</ref> It was scientifically described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766.
Mainly a herbivore, its diet is primarily grasses and leaves. Common elands form herds of up to 500 animals, but are not territorial. The common eland prefers habitats with a wide variety of flowering plants such as savannah, woodlands, and open and montane grasslands; it avoids dense forests. It uses loud barks, visual and postural movements, and the flehmen response to communicate and warn others of danger. The common eland is used by humans for leather, and meat and has been domesticated in southern Africa. Eland milk contains more butterfat than cow's milk, and can keep longer without pasteurising.Template:Citation needed
It is native to Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, but is no longer present in Burundi. While the common eland's population is decreasing, it is classified as of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
EtymologyEdit
The scientific name of the common eland is Taurotragus oryx, composed of three words: tauros, tragos, and oryx. Tauros is Greek for a bull or bullock, meaning the same as the Latin taurus.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Tragos is Greek for a male goat, referring to the tuft of hair that grows in the eland's ear and its resemblance to a goat's beard.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Oryx is Latin and Greek (genitive: orygos) for pickaxe, referring to the pointed horns of North African antelopes like the common eland and scimitar-horned oryx.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The name "eland" is Afrikaans for "elk" or "moose",<ref name=TT>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> from Dutch eland, from obsolete German Elend, probably from obsolete Lithuanian ellenis.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> When Dutch settlers came to the Cape of Good Hope, creating the Dutch Cape Colony, they named the animal after the large, herbivorous moose. In Dutch, the animal is called "eland antelope" to distinguish it from the moose, which is found in the northern boreal forests.<ref name=TT/>
Physical descriptionEdit
Common elands are spiral-horned antelopes. They are sexually dimorphic, with females being smaller than the males.<ref name=Harris>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Females weigh Template:Cvt, measure Template:Cvt from the snout to the base of the tail and stand Template:Cvt at the shoulder. Bulls weigh Template:Cvt,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> are Template:Cvt from the snout to the base of the tail and stand Template:Cvt at the shoulder. The tail is Template:Cvt long.<ref name=Pappas/> Male elands can weigh up to Template:Cvt.<ref name = "seaworld1"/>
Their coat differs geographically, with elands in northern part of their range having distinctive markings (torso stripes, markings on legs, dark garters and a spinal crest) that are absent in the south.<ref name=estes>Template:Cite book</ref> Apart from a rough mane, the coat is smooth. Females have a tan coat, while the coats of males are darker, with a bluish-grey tinge. Bulls may also have a series of vertical white stripes on their sides (mainly in parts of the Karoo in South Africa). As males age, their coat becomes more grey. Males also have dense fur on their foreheads and a large dewlap on their throats.<ref name = Pappas/>
Both sexes have horns with a steady spiral ridge (resembling that of the bushbuck). The horns are visible as small buds in newborns and grow rapidly during the first seven months.<ref name="skinner"/> The horns of males are thicker and shorter than those of females (males' horns are Template:Cvt long and females' are Template:Cvt long), and have a tighter spiral. Males use their horns during rutting season to wrestle and butt heads with rivals, while females use their horns to protect their young from predators.<ref name = Pappas/>
The common eland is the slowest antelope, with a peak speed of Template:Cvt that tires them quickly. However, they can maintain a Template:Cvt trot indefinitely. Elands are capable of jumping up to Template:Cvt from a standing start when startled<ref name=estes/> (up to Template:Cvt for young elands).<ref name = Pappas/> The common eland's life expectancy is generally between 15 and 20 years; in captivity, some live up to 25 years.<ref name = Pappas/>
Eland herds are accompanied by a loud clicking sound that has been subject to considerable speculation. The weight of the animal may cause the two halves of its hooves to splay apart, and the clicking is the result of the hoof snapping together when the animal raises its leg.<ref name="Carnaby2008">Template:Cite book</ref> The sound carries some distance from a herd, and may be a form of communication.<ref name = "seaworld1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
TaxonomyEdit
Template:Cladogram The common eland was first described in 1766 by German zoologist and botanist Peter Simon Pallas. It belongs to the order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae, and subfamily Bovinae.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Common elands are sometimes considered part of the genus Tragelaphus on the basis of molecular phylogenetics, but are usually categorized as Taurotragus, along with the giant eland (T. derbianus).<ref name=Pappas/>
SubspeciesEdit
Three subspecies of common elands have been recognized, though their validity has been disputed.<ref name="IUCN"/><ref name=wilson>Template:MSW3 Artiodactyla</ref><ref name=Pappas/><ref name=Harris/><ref name=skinner>Template:Cite book</ref>
- T. o. oryx (Pallas, 1766; Cape eland): also called alces, barbatus, canna and oreas. It is found in Southern and southwestern Africa. The fur is tawny and adults lose their stripes.
- T. o. livingstonii (Sclater, 1864; Livingstone's eland): also called kaufmanni, niediecki, selousi and triangularis. It is found in the Central Zambezian miombo woodlands. Livingstone's eland has brown fur with up to 12 stripes.
- T. o. pattersonianus (Lydekker, 1906; East African eland or Patterson's eland): also called billingae. It is found in East Africa, hence its common name. Like Livingstone's eland, its fur can also have up to 12 stripes.
- Found by and named after John Henry Patterson, who describes the specimen in The Man-eaters of Tsavo (1907).<ref name="patterson1907">Template:Cite book</ref>
- The book of antelopes (1894) Taurotragus oryx.png
Illustration of T. o. oryx.
- The book of antelopes (1894) Taurotragus oryx livingstonii.png
Illustration of T. o. livingstonii.
- Taurotragus oryx pattersonianus 1907.jpg
Illustration of T. o. pattersonianus.
Genetics and evolutionEdit
Male elands have 31 diploid chromosomes and females have 32. The male (Y) chromosome has been translocated to the short arm of an autosome.<ref name = Pappas/> Both the X chromosome and Y chromosome replicate late; they do not match well and are variable. The chromosomes resemble those of the greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros).<ref name=taxo>Template:Cite book</ref>
Male elands and female greater kudus can produce a viable male hybrid, though whether it is sterile is unknown. An accidental crossing of an East African common eland (T. o. Template:Proper name') with an East African kudu (T. s. bea) occurred in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. This was believed to be due to the absence of male kudus in the herd. The hybrid produced was sterile. The study confirmed the chromosome numbers of both the eland and the kudu and the strangeness of their attached Y chromosomes. Attempt matings of male elands with domestic (Bos primigenius) and zebu cows (Bos indicus) indicated the species are not able to interbreed.<ref name=jorge>Template:Cite journal</ref> Female elands have acted as surrogates for bongos.<ref name = Pappas/>
The Bovidae family ancestors of the common eland arose approximately 20 million years ago in Africa; fossils are found throughout Africa and France, but the best records are in sub-Saharan Africa. The first members of the tribe Tragelaphini appear six million years ago during the late Miocene. An extinct ancestor of the common eland (Taurotragus arkelli) appears in the Pleistocene in northern Tanzania and the first T. oryx fossil appears in the Holocene in Algeria.<ref name = Pappas/>
In 2010, a genetic study was made basing on the evolutionary history of common elands. Using material from East and Southern Africa, analysis of mitochondrial DNA control-region fragments from 122 individuals revealed information concerning the phylogeography, genetic diversity, and demographic history of the species. The conclusions supported the presence of a long-standing population in the southern Africa and a mosaic of Pleistocene refugia in eastern Africa. The similarity of dates obtained from other studies indicates a significant genetic event around 200 ka.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Habitat and distributionEdit
Common elands live on the open plains of Southern Africa and along the foothills of the great southern African plateau. The species extends north into Ethiopia and most arid zones of South Sudan, west into eastern Angola and Namibia, and south to South Africa. However, a low density of elands exists in Africa due to poaching and human settlement.
Elands prefer to live in semiarid areas that contain many shrub-like bushes, and often inhabit grasslands, woodlands, subdesert, bush, and mountaintops with altitudes of about Template:Convert.<ref name=adw>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Elands do, however, avoid forests, swamps and deserts. The places inhabited by elands generally contain Acacia, Combretum, Commiphora, Diospyros, Grewia, Rhus, and Ziziphus trees and shrubs; some of these also serve as their food.
Eland can be found in many national parks and reserves today, including Nairobi National Park and Tsavo East National Park, Tsavo West National Park, Masai Mara National Reserve, (Kenya); Serengeti National Park, Ruaha National Park and Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, (Tanzania); Kagera National Park (Rwanda); Nyika National Park (Malawi); Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda); Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda); Luangwa Valley and Kafue National Park (Zambia); Hwange National Park, Matobo National Park, Tuli Safari Area and Chimanimani Eland Sanctuary (Zimbabwe); Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Giant's Castle and Suikerbosrand NR (South Africa).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
They live on home ranges that can be 200–400 km2 for females and juveniles and 50 km2 for males.<ref name=lorezen>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="thinkquest1"/>
Ecology and behaviorEdit
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Common elands are nomadic and crepuscular. They eat in the morning and evening, rest in shade when hot, and remain in sunlight when cold. They are commonly found in herds numbering up to 500, with individual members remaining in the herd from several hours to several months. Juveniles and mothers tend to form larger herds, while males may separate into smaller groups or wander individually. During estrus, mainly in the rainy season, groups tend to form more regularly.<ref name = Pappas/> In Southern Africa, common elands will often associate with herds of zebras, roan antelopes and oryxes.<ref name = Burton>Template:Cite book</ref>
Common elands communicate via gestures, vocalizations, scent cues, and display behaviors. The flehmen response also occurs, primarily in males in response to contact with female urine or genitals. Females urinate to indicate fertility during the appropriate phase of their estrous cycle, as well as to indicate their lack of fertility when harassed by males.<ref name = Pappas/> If eland bulls find any of their predators nearby, they bark and attempt to attract the attention of others by trotting back and forth until the entire herd is conscious of the danger.<ref name=Burton/> Some of their main predators include lions, African wild dogs, cheetahs, and spotted hyenas. Eland calves are more vulnerable than adults to their predators.<ref name = Pappas/>
DietEdit
Common elands are herbivores that browse during drier winter, but have also adapted to grazing during the rainy season when grasses are more common and nutritious.<ref name = Pappas/> They require a high-protein diet of succulent leaves from flowering plants, but will consume lower-quality plant material if available, including forbs, trees, shrubs, grasses, seeds, and tubers.<ref name = Pappas/><ref name = "adw"/><ref name="thinkquest1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Grasses that elands eat include Setaria and Themeda and fruits from Securinega and Strychnos. Large antelope can survive on lower-quality food in times of little rain.
Most of their water is obtained from their food, though they drink water when available.<ref name = Pappas/> As they quickly adjust to the surroundings due to seasonal changes and other causes, they change their feeding habits. They also use their horns to break off branches that are hard to reach.<ref name=rafferty>Template:Cite book</ref>
ThermoregulationEdit
Common elands have several thermoregulatory adaptations to help them withstand the extreme temperatures of their environments. Using peripheral thermal receptors on the skin, elands can sense heat and increase or decrease evaporative cooling accordingly.<ref name="Finch-1972">Template:Cite journal</ref> On sunnier days, common elands maintain a cooler skin temperature relative to their inner body temperature.<ref name="Finch-1972" /> Elands achieve cooler skin temperatures by increasing cutaneous evaporation. This allows them to feel cooler, even though their internal body temperature stays relatively the same throughout the day. The eland can also conserve water by increasing its body temperature.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> When temperatures rise above a certain threshold, an increase in sweating and panting is also observed.<ref name="Finch-1972" /> Common elands use their sparse fur coats to dissipate excess heat via reradiation.<ref name="Finch-1972" /> The dewlap is also believed to play a role in thermoregulation.<ref name="Bro-Jørgensen-2016">Template:Cite journal</ref> Due to its high surface area to volume ratio, it may allow for efficient thermoregulation in larger common elands with larger dewlaps.<ref name="Bro-Jørgensen-2016" />
Sociability and reproductionEdit
Females are sexually mature at 15 to 36 months and males at 4 to 5 years. Mating may occur anytime after reaching sexual maturity, but is mostly seen in the rainy season. In Zambia, young are born in July and August, while elsewhere this is the mating season.<ref name="adw"/> Mating begins when elands gather to feed on lush, green plains with plentiful grass, and some males and females start mating with each other in separate pairs. Males chase the females to find out if they are in estrus. They also test the female's urine. Usually, a female chooses the most dominant and fit male to mate with. Sometimes, she runs away from males trying to mate, causing more attraction. This results in fights between males, in which their hard horns are used. A female allows a male to mount after two to four hours. Males usually keep close contact with females in the mating period.<ref name="thinkquest1"/> The dominant male can mate with more than one female.<ref name="adw"/> Females have a gestation period of nine months, and give birth to only one calf each time.<ref name=uu>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Males, females, and juveniles each form separate social groups. The male groups are the smallest; the members stay together and search for food or water sources. The female group is much larger and covers greater areas.<ref name="adw"/> They travel the grassy plains in wet periods and prefer bushy areas in dry periods. Females have a complex linear hierarchy. The nursery and juvenile group is naturally formed when females give birth to calves. After about 24 hours of the delivery, the mother and calf join this group. The calves start befriending each other and stay back in the nursery group, while the mother returns to the female group. The calves leave the nursery group when they are at least two years old and join a male or female group.<ref name="uu"/>
Diseases and parasitesEdit
Common elands are resistant to trypanosomiasis, a protozoan infection that has the tsetse fly as a vector, but not to the Rhipicephalus-transmitted disease theileriosis. The disease-causing bacterium Theileria taurotragi has caused many eland deaths. Clostridium chauvoei, another bacterium, can be harmful, as well. Elands are also hosts to several kinds of ticks. In one study, an eland was found to be host to the Amblyomma species A. gemma and A. variegatum, and Rhipicephalus species R. decoloratus, R. appendiculatus, R. evertsi, R. pulchellus and R. pravus. Elands produce antibodies for Brucella bacteria, but none for Mycobacterium paratuberculosis or various types of pneumonia like contagious bovine pneumonia and contagious caprine pneumonia, normally infectious in cows or antelopes.<ref name=Pappas/>
Interaction with humansEdit
ConservationEdit
Currently, common elands are not endangered. They are conserved by the United States Endangered Species Act, and regulated in international trade by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.<ref name=Antelope>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A 2016 assessment for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List estimates the number of mature individuals to be 90,000-110,000, with populations considered stable or increasing in the countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania.<ref name="IUCN"/>
The population is, however, gradually decreasing due to habitat loss, caused by expanding human settlements and poaching for its superior meat.<ref name=pdf3>Template:Cite book</ref> As they are docile and inactive most of the time, they can easily be killed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The species became extinct in Eswatini<ref name="wilson"/> and Zimbabwe,<ref name="thinkquest1"/> but has been reintroduced.
The IUCN states that about half of the estimated total population lives in protected areas and 30% on private land. Protected areas that support major populations include Omo (Ethiopia), Serengeti, Katavi, Ruaha, and Selous-Kilombero (Tanzania), Kafue and North Luangwa (Zambia), Nyika (Malawi), Etosha (Namibia), Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Botswana/South Africa) and Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park (South Africa).<ref name="IUCN"/> Most of these populations appear to be stable. Relatively large numbers of common elands now live on private land, particularly in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, reflecting its value as a trophy animal. Common elands have also been widely domesticated in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Russia, and Ukraine.<ref name="IUCN"/><ref name=consv>Template:Cite book</ref>
UsesEdit
The common eland is sometimes farmed and hunted for its meat, and in some cases can be better used than cattle because it is more suited to African climates. This has led to some Southern African farmers switching from cattle to eland. Common elands are also pictured as supporters in the coat of arms of Grootfontein, Namibia.
HusbandryEdit
Common elands have a mild temperament and have been successfully domesticated for meat and milk production in South Africa and Russia.<ref name="rafferty"/> Their need for water is quite low because they produce urine with a high urea content, but they require a substantial grazing area, along with salt licks and large amounts of supplementary feed such as maize, sorghum, melons, and beans, which can be expensive. A female can produce up to Template:Convert of milk per day that is richer in milkfat than cow milk. The pleasant-tasting milk has a butterfat content of 11-17% and can be stored for up to eight months if properly prepared, versus several days for cow milk.<ref name=Pappas/>
Housing common elands is difficult due to their ability to jump over fences as high as Template:Convert or simply break through using their substantial mass. Sometimes, wild elands break through enclosures to mix with domesticated ones. Common elands can reproduce in captivity, but calf survival is low and the young may need to be separated from their mothers to ensure health and adequate feeding.<ref name = Pappas/> Husbandry requires care because the generally placid animals startle easily and require large amounts of space.<ref name=Harris/>
ReferencesEdit
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