Editing Lesser kudu (section)

==Ecology and behaviour==
[[File:Tragelaphus imbersis Dvur zoo 4.jpg|thumbnail|Herd of lesser kudu in [[Dvůr Králové Zoo]]]]
The lesser kudu is mainly active at night and during the dawn, and seeks shelter in dense thickets just after the sunrise.<ref name=adw/> It can [[camouflage]] so well in such dense vegetation that only its ears and tail can indicate its presence.<ref name=ark>{{cite web|title=Lesser kudu|url=http://www.arkive.org/lesser-kudu/tragelaphus-imberbis/|work=Wildscreen|publisher=ARKive|access-date=2 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304165605/http://www.arkive.org/lesser-kudu/tragelaphus-imberbis/|archive-date=2014-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> The midday is spent in rest and rumination in shaded areas.<ref name=kingdon/><ref name=mitchell>{{cite journal|last=Mitchell|first=A. W.|title=Preliminary observations on the daytime activity patterns of lesser kudu in Tsavo National Park, Kenya|journal=African Journal of Ecology|date=September 1977|volume=15|issue=3|pages=199–206|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2028.1977.tb00398.x|bibcode=1977AfJEc..15..199M }}</ref> The animal spends about equal time foraging, standing and lying, and roaming.<ref name=estes/> As a thin tragelaphine, the lesser kudu can move readily through dense vegetation with ease. The lesser kudu is a shy and wary animal. When alarmed, the animal stands motionless. If it senses any approaching predator, it gives out a short sharp bark, similar to the [[Cape bushbuck|bushbuck]]'s,  then makes multiple leaps up to {{cvt|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} high with an upraised tail. If captured by the predator, the victim gives a loud bleat.<ref name=estes/>

Lesser kudus are gregarious in nature, especially females. No distinct leader or any hierarchy is noted in the social structure; with no territorial behavior, fights are uncommon. While fighting, the lesser kudus interlock horns and try pushing one another. Mutual grooming is hardly observed.<ref name=kingdon/> Unlike most tragelaphines, females can be closely associated for several years. One to three females, along with their offspring, may form a group. Juvenile males leave their mothers when aged a year and a half, and may form pairs. However, at the age of 4-5 years, males prefer a solitary lifestyle and avoid one another, though four or five bulls may share the same home range. Lesser kudu do not usually associate with other animals, except when they feed in the same area.<ref name=estes/><ref name=ark/>

===Diet===
[[File:Lesser Kudu Female.jpg|thumbnail|Feeding female and juvenile]]
A pure browser, the lesser kudu feeds on foliage from bushes and trees (shoots, twigs) and herbs.<ref name=adw/> It also eats flowers and fruits if available, and takes small proportions of grasses, usually in the wet season. Despite seasonal and local variations, foliage from trees and shrubs constitutes 60-80% of the diet throughout the year. Foliage from creepers and vines (such as ''Thunbergia guerkeana'' and some species of [[Cucurbitaceae]] and [[Convulvulaceae]]) forms 15-25% of the diet in the wet season. Fruits are consumed mainly in the dry season. [[Olfactory]] searching, much in the same posture as grazing, is used to find fallen fruits (such as ''Melia volkensii'' and ''[[Acacia tortilis]]''), while small fruits (such as ''[[Commiphora]]'' species) are directly plucked from trees. The size and structure of its stomach also suggests its primary dependence on browse.<ref name=kingdon/>

The lesser kudu browses primarily at dusk or dawn, or nocturnally, <ref name=mitchell/> and is sometimes associated with [[gerenuk]] and the [[impala]].<ref name=kingdon/> The lesser kudu and the gerenuk might compete for evergreen species in the dry season.<ref name=kingdon/> However, unlike the long-necked gerenuk, the lesser kudu rarely consumes ''[[Acacia]]'' species, and does not stand on its hindlegs while feeding.<ref name=estes/> The lesser kudu likewise does not have a great requirement for water, and can thrive in arid environments<ref name=adw/> as it is able to extract sufficient moisture from [[Succulent plant|succulent plants]], such as the leaves of wild [[sisal]] and ''[[Sansevieria]]'' ('snake-plants', genus ''[[Dracaena (plant)|Dracaena]]''), and certain species of the poisonous [[Euphorbiaceae]] family; it drinks water readily when rains come or when sources are available.<ref name=kingdon/><ref name=estes/>

===Reproduction===
Both the males and females become sexually mature by the time they are a year and a half old. However, males actually mate after the age of four to five years.<ref name=adw/> Males and females are most reproductive till the age of 14 and 14–18 years, respectively, with the maximum age of successful lactation in females being 13–14 years.<ref name=rep/> With no fixed breeding season, births may occur at any time of the year. A study at [[Dvůr Králové Zoo]] ([[Czech Republic]]) showed that 55% of the births occurred between September and December.<ref name=rep>{{cite journal|last=Váhala|first=J.|title=Reproduction of the lesser kudu (''Tragelaphus imberbis'') at Dvůr Králové Zoo|journal=Zoo Biology|date=1992|volume=11|issue=2|pages=99–106|doi=10.1002/zoo.1430110205}}</ref> A [[Rut (mammalian reproduction)|rutting]] male tests the urine of any female he encounters, to which the female responds by urinating. Having located a female in [[estrus]], the male follows her closely, trying to rub his cheek on her rump, head, neck, and chest. He performs gasping movements with his lips. Finally, the male mounts the female, resting his head and neck on her back, in a similar way as other tragelaphines.<ref name=kingdon/><ref name=estes/>

The gestational period is 7-8 months, after which a single calf is born. A female about to give birth isolates herself from her group, and remains alone for some days afterward. The newborn calf weighs {{convert|4|-|7.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Around 50% of the calves die within the first six months of birth, and only 25% can survive after three years. In a study at [[Basle Zoo]] ([[Switzerland]]), where 43% of the offspring from captive breeding died before reaching the age of six months, the major causes of high juvenile mortality were found to be the spread of [[white muscle disease]] and deficiency of [[vitamin E]] and [[selenium]] in diets. The herd size, sex, interbreeding, and season did not play any role in juvenile mortality.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Besselmann|first=D.|author2=Schaub, D.|author3=Wenker, C.|author4=Völlm, J.|author5=Robert, N.|author6=Schelling, C.|author7=Steinmetz, H.|author8=Clauss, M.|title=Juvenile mortality in captive lesser kudu (''Tragelaphus imberbis'') at Basle Zoo and its relation to nutrition and husbandry|journal=Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine|date=March 2008|volume=39|issue=1|pages=86–91|doi=10.1638/2007-0004.1|pmid=18432100|s2cid=22836125|url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/3424/5/JZWM_Besselmann_kudu_2008V.pdf|access-date=2019-12-12|archive-date=2017-09-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924143612/http://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/3424/5/JZWM_Besselmann_kudu_2008V.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The mother hides her calf while she goes out to feed, and returns mainly in the evening to suckle her young. She checks the calf's identity by sniffing its rump or neck. In the first month, suckling may occur for 8 minutes. The mother and calf communicate with low bleats. She licks her offspring, particularly in the [[Perineal body|perineal region]], and may consume its excreta.<ref name=kingdon/><ref name=estes/>