Gerenuk
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The gerenukTemplate:Efn (Litocranius walleri), also known as the giraffe gazelle, is a long-necked, medium-sized antelope found in parts of East Africa. The sole member of the genus Litocranius, the gerenuk was first described by the naturalist Victor Brooke in 1879. It is characterised by its long, slender neck and limbs. The antelope is Template:Convert tall, and weighs between Template:Convert. Two types of colouration are clearly visible on the smooth coat: the reddish brown back or the "saddle", and the lighter flanks, fawn to buff. The horns, present only on males, are lyre-shaped. Curving backward then slightly forward, these measure Template:Convert.
Taxonomy and phylogenyEdit
The gerenuk was first described by Victor Brooke in 1879 on the basis of three male specimens procured on "the mainland of Africa, north of the island of Zanzibar".<ref name=brooke/> Brooke used the scientific name Gazella walleri, on the request of Gerald Waller (who provided the specimens) to name it after his deceased brother.<ref name=brooke>Template:Cite journal</ref> The type locality was later corrected by John Kirk, who originally obtained the specimens on the "coast near the River Juba in southern Somalia" before giving them to Waller.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1886, Franz Friedrich Kohl proposed a new genus for the gerenuk, Litocranius.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The common name derives from the Somali name for the animal (gáránúug); the first recorded use of the name dates back to 1895.<ref>Template:Cite Merriam-Webster</ref> It is also known as the "giraffe gazelle" due to its similarity to the giraffe.<ref name="mares">Template:Cite book</ref>
Two subspecies have been proposed, but these are considered to be independent species by some authors.<ref name=MSW3/><ref name=groves>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=castello/><ref name="kingdon">Template:Cite book</ref>
- L. w. sclateri (Northern gerenuk or Sclater's gazelle) Neumann, 1899: Its range extends from northwestern Somalia (Berbera District) westward to touch the Ethiopian border and Djibouti.
- L. w. walleri (Southern gerenuk or Waller's gazelle) (Brooke, 1879): Its range extends through northeastern Tanzania through Kenya to Galcaio (Somalia). The range lies north of the Shebelle River and near Juba River.
In 1997 Colin Groves proposed that Litocranius is a sister taxon of the similarly long-necked dibatag (Ammodorcas clarkei), but withdrew from this in 2000.<ref name=MSW3/> A 1999 phylogenetic study based on cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase subunit III analysis showed that the tribe Antilopini, to which the gerenuk belongs, is monophyletic.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 2013, Eva Verena Bärmann and colleagues (of the University of Cambridge) revised the phylogeny of tribe on the basis of nuclear and mitochondrial gene analysis. The cladogram prepared by them (given below) showed that the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) forms a clade with the gerenuk; this clade is sister to the saiga (Saiga tatarica, tribe Saigini) and the genera Antilope (blackbuck), Eudorcas, Gazella and Nanger (of Antilopini).<ref name="barmann">Template:Cite journal</ref>
DescriptionEdit
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The gerenuk is a notably tall, slender antelope that resembles gazelles. It is characterised by its long, slender neck and limbs, the flat, wedge-like head and the large, round eyes. Males are nearly Template:Convert tall, and the shorter females Template:Convert; the head-and-body length is typically between Template:Convert. Males weigh between Template:Convert; females are lighter, weighing Template:Convert. The species is sexually dimorphic. The tail, that ends in a black tuft, measures Template:Convert.<ref name=castello/><ref name="estes">Template:Cite book</ref>
Two types of colouration are clearly visible on the smooth coat: the reddish brown dorsal parts (the back or the "saddle"), and the lighter flanks, fawn to buff. The underbelly and insides of the legs are cream in colour. The eyes and the mouth are surrounded by white fur. Females have a dark patch on the crown. The horns, present only on males, are lyre-like (S-shaped). Curving backward then slightly forward, these measure Template:Convert.<ref name=estes/><ref name="castello">Template:Cite book</ref>
The gerenuk resembles the dibatag, with which it is sympatric in eastern and central Somalia and southeastern Ethiopia. Both are brachyodonts and share several facial and cranial features, along with a two-tone colouration of the coat and strong thick horns (only in males).<ref name=kingdon2>Template:Cite book</ref> However, there are also some features distinguishing it from the gerenuk, including major morphological differences in horns, horn cores, tail, postorbital area and basioccipital processes. The gerenuk has a longer, heavier neck and a shorter tail.<ref name=castello/> A finer point of difference is the absence of an inward-curving lobe in the lower edge of the ear (near its tip) in the gerenuk.<ref name=kingdon2/> The subspecies of the gerenuk are similar in colouration; the southern gerenuk is the smaller of the two.<ref name=castello/> The Gerenuk stages of growth have a timespan from 4 months to 2.5 years: at four months, their shoulder height is about two-thirds of adult female, at six months their shoulder height is about three-quarters of adult female, at eight months their horn tips are clearly visible (about 1cm long), at one year their shoulder height is nearly equal to adult female but body more lightly built, their horns are slightly less than half ear-length, then curve, at two years their horns are about 1.5 times their ear length and the second curve becomes noticeable with the tips turning forwards, and finally at two and a half years the double curve in the horns are nearly completed.<ref>Leuthold, W. (1978). On the Ecology of the Gerenuk Litocranius walleri. Journal of Animal Ecology, 47(2), 561–580. https://doi.org/10.2307/3801</ref>
Ecology and behaviorEdit
The gerenuk is a diurnal animal (active mainly during the day), though it typically stands or rests in shade during the noon. Foraging and feeding is the major activity throughout the day; females appear to spend longer time in feeding. The gerenuk may expose itself to rain, probably to cool its body.<ref name="leuthold2">Template:Cite journal</ref> The social structure consists of small herds of two to six members. Herds typically comprise members of a single sex, though female herds additionally have juveniles. Some males lead a solitary life.<ref name=castello/>
Fighting and travel are uncommon, possibly as a strategy to save energy for foraging.<ref name=mares/> Both sexes maintain home ranges Template:Convert large, and might overlap. Those of males are scent-marked with preorbital gland secretions and guarded - hence these may be termed territories. The sedentary tendency of the antelope appears to increase with age.<ref name=kingdon/>
DietEdit
Primarily a browser, the gerenuk feed on foliage of bushes as well as trees, shoots, herbs, flowers and fruits.<ref name="Leuthold"/> It can reach higher branches and twigs better than other gazelles and antelopes by standing erect on its hindlegs and elongating its neck; this helps it reach over Template:Convert above the ground.<ref name=kingdon/> Acacia species are eaten whenever available,<ref name=kingdon/> while evergreen vegetation forms the diet during droughts.<ref name=estes/> The pointed mouth assists in extracting leaves from thorny vegetation.<ref name=kingdon/> The gerenuk does not drink water regularly.<ref name="Leuthold">Template:Cite journal</ref> Major predators of the antelope include African wild dogs, cheetahs, hyenas, lions and leopards.<ref name=castello/>
ReproductionEdit
Gerenuk reproduce throughout the year. Females reach sexual maturity at around one year, and males reach sexual maturity at 1.5 years, although in the wild they may only be successful after acquiring a territory (perhaps 3.5 years).<ref name="Leuthold"/> The gestation period is about seven months. They are born one at a time, weighing about Template:Convert at birth. Offspring were produced through artificial insemination for the first time in 2010 at White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Florida. Four female calves were born, and one of the four was later inseminated successfully by White Oak and SEZARC (South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation), creating a second generation of calves born from artificial insemination.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> Gerenuk can live thirteen years or more in captivity, and at least eight years in the wild.<ref name="Leuthold"/>
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
Further readingEdit
External linksEdit
- Gerenuk at the Encyclopædia Britannica