Editing Sable antelope

{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Sable antelope
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group |date=2017 |title=''Hippotragus niger'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T10170A50188654 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T10170A50188654.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) adult male.jpg
| image_caption = Adult male or bull, [[Tswalu Kalahari Reserve]], [[South Africa]]
| image2 = Sable (Hippotragus niger) female crossing the road (16635641913), crop.jpg
| image2_caption = Adult female or cow crossing the road in [[Kruger National Park]], [[South Africa]]
| taxon = Hippotragus niger
| authority = ([[William Cornwallis Harris|Harris]], 1838)
| range_map = Hippotragus niger distribution.svg
| range_map_caption = {{legend0|#FF2020|&nbsp;geographic range|outline=gray}}
}}

The '''sable antelope''' ('''''Hippotragus niger''''') is a large [[antelope]] which inhabits wooded [[savanna]] in [[East Africa|East]] and [[Southern Africa]], from the south of [[Kenya]] to [[South Africa]], with a separated population in [[Angola]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/sable |work=African Wildlife Foundation |title=Sable}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
The sable antelope shares the [[Genus (biology)|genus]] ''[[Hippotragus]]'' with the [[Extinction|extinct]] [[bluebuck]] (''H. leucophaeus'') and the [[roan antelope]] (''H. equinus''), and is a member of the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Bovidae]].<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3|id=14200947|page=718}}</ref> 

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:<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Robinson|first1=T. J.|last2=Bastos|first2=A. D.|last3=Halanych|first3=K. M.|last4=Herzig|first4=B.|title=Mitochondrial DNA sequence relationships of the extinct blue antelope ''Hippotragus leucophaeus''.|journal=Die Naturwissenschaften|date=1996|volume=83|issue=4|pages=178–82|pmid=8643125|doi=10.1007/s001140050269}}</ref>

{{clade| style=font-size:100%; line-height:100%
|1={{clade
 |1={{clade
  |1=[[blesbok]] (''Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi'')
  |2=[[bontebok]] (''Damaliscus pygargus pygarus'')}}
 |2={{clade
  |1=[[bluebuck]] (''Hippotragus leucophaeus'')†<small>extinct</small>
  |2={{clade
   |1=[[roan antelope]] (''Hippotragus equinus'')
   |2='''sable antelope''' ('''''Hippotragus niger''''')}} }} }} }}

===Subspecies===
''Hipotragus niger'' has four subspecies:

* The '''southern sable antelope''' (''H. n. niger''; also known as the '''common sable antelope''', '''black sable antelope''', '''Matsetsi sable antelope''' or '''South Zambian sable antelope''') is regarded as the [[Subspecies#Nominotypical subspecies and subspecies autonyms|nominate subspecies]], as it was the first one to be described and named in 1838. Often referred to as the black sable antelope because it tends to have the darkest coat, this subspecies occurs south of the Zambezi River, particularly in northern Botswana and in large numbers in the Matsetsi Valley of Zimbabwe, but it is also found in South Africa. In South Africa, most of the commercial sable antelope farmers crossed their Matsetsi sable antelope (indigenous to South Africa) with Zambian sable antelope in the hope to move nearer to the nearly extinct giant sable antelope (that was larger with bigger horns). Currently, only about 15% pure Matsetsi sable antelopes are thought to exist in South Africa. The Matsetsi sable antelope population in Zimbabwe is only 450 (down from 24,000 in 1994).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Crosmary |first1=William-Georges |last2=Chamaillé-Jammes |first2=Simon |last3=Mtare |first3=Godfrey |last4=Fritz |first4=Hervé |last5=Côté |first5=Steeve D. |date=2015-01-07 |title=Decline of sable antelope in one of its key conservation areas: the greater Hwange ecosystem, Zimbabwe |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aje.12207 |journal=African Journal of Ecology |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=194–205 |doi=10.1111/aje.12207 |issn=0141-6707|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The sable antelope population in South Africa is about 7,000 (commercial and in reserves). Therefore, the Matsetsi sable antelope population apparently is less than 1,500 and declining. However, most of the sable antelope in the reserves are pure Matsetsi sable antelope. Anglo-American recently started a program of breeding pure Matsetsi sable antelope commercially and keeping them pure.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://exoticgamefreestate.com/?page_id=30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906141837/http://exoticgamefreestate.com/?page_id=30 |archive-date=2013-09-06 |title=Hipotrachus Niger {{!}} Exotic Game Farming Orange Free State}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wpazambia.com/Articles/Archive/Western%20Zambian%20Sable.html |title=Wildlife Producers Association of Zambia |access-date=2014-11-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103162628/http://www.wpazambia.com/Articles/Archive/Western%20Zambian%20Sable.html |archive-date=2014-11-03 }}</ref>
* The '''[[giant sable antelope]]''' (''H. n. variani''; also known as the '''royal sable antelope''') is so named because both sexes are larger and their horns are recognizably longer. It is found only in a few remaining localities in central Angola. It is classified as [[Critically Endangered]] on the IUCN Red List and is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
* The '''Zambian sable antelope''' (''H. n. kirkii''; also known as the '''West Zambian sable antelope''' or '''West Tanzanian sable antelope''') occurs in central [[Angola]], western [[Zambia]] and [[Malawi]] and has the largest geographic range of the four subspecies, which extends north of the Zambezi River through Zambia, the eastern [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] and [[Malawi]] into southwestern [[Tanzania]]. It is classified as [[Vulnerable species|Vulnerable]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/out_and_about/1246201/sable_shenanigans_how_zambias_sable_population_is_falling_prey_to_unscrupulous_traders.html|title=Sable shenanigans: how Zambia's sable population is falling prey to unscrupulous traders|work=The Ecologist|access-date=2017-07-13}}</ref><ref name="wildlifeextra.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/world/sable-south-africa.html#cr|title=Wildlife as a commodity - Incarcerated by red tape|website=www.wildlifeextra.com|language=en|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141105101241/http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/world/sable-south-africa.html%23cr#cr|archive-date=November 5, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The '''eastern sable antelope''' (''H. n. roosevelti''; also known as the '''Shimba sable antelope''') is the smallest of the four subspecies. It occurs in the coastal hinterlands of southern Kenya, particularly in the [[Shimba Hills National Reserve]], and ranges through the region east of Tanzania's eastern escarpment and into northern Mozambique.<ref name="wildlifeextra.com"/><ref name="KingdonHappold2013">{{cite book|author1=Jonathan Kingdon|author2=David Happold|author3=Thomas Butynski|author4=Michael Hoffmann|author5=Meredith Happold|author6=Jan Kalina|title=Mammals of Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B_07noCPc4kC&pg=RA4-PA557|date=23 May 2013|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4081-8996-2|pages=557}}</ref>

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";<ref>''Five Years of a Hunter's Life in the Far Interior Of South Africa''. Roualeyn George Gordon-Cumming (1820–1866); London, John Murray, 1855</ref> the origin and exact application are unclear. Local names include swartwitpens ([[Afrikaans]]), kgama or phalafala ([[Sotho language|Sotho]]), mBarapi or palahala ([[Swahili language|Swahili]]), kukurugu, kwalat or kwalata ([[Tswana language|Tswana]]), ngwarati ([[Shona language|Shona]]), iliza ([[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]),  impalampala ([[Zulu language|Zulu]]) and umtshwayeli ([[Northern Ndebele language|Ndebele]]).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Life]] |title=''Hippotragus niger''—Names |url=https://eol.org/pages/331077/names |access-date=9 October 2019}}</ref>

==Description==
The sable antelope is [[sexually dimorphic]], with the male heavier and about one-fifth taller than the female.<ref name=nowak>{{cite book |last=Nowak |first=R. M.|title=Walker's Mammals of the World|url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0001nowa |url-access=registration |date=1999|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore, Maryland |isbn=0801857899|pages=1174–5|edition=6th}}</ref> The head-and-body length is typically between {{convert|190|and|255|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=huffman>{{cite web|last=Huffman|first=B.|title=Sable antelope |url=http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Hippotragus_niger.html|publisher=Ultimate Ungulate|access-date=6 March 2014}}</ref> Males reach about {{convert|117|-|140|cm|in|abbr=on}} at the shoulder, while females are slightly shorter. Males typically weigh {{convert|235|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|220|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=estes>{{cite book|last=R. D.|first=Estes|title=The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals, Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, and Primates|date=1999|publisher=Chelsea Green Pub. Co.|location=White River Junction|isbn=1890132446|pages=[https://archive.org/details/safaricompaniong00este_0/page/98 98–100]|edition=Rev.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/safaricompaniong00este_0/page/98}}</ref> The tail is {{convert|40|-|75|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, with a tuft at the end.<ref name=nowak/><ref name=huffman/>

The sable antelope has a compact and robust build, characterized by a thick neck and tough skin.<ref name=nowak/> It has a well-developed and often upright mane on its neck, as well as a short mane on the throat.<ref name=estes/> 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.<ref name=estes/> The underparts, cheek, and chin are all white, creating a great contrast with the dark back and flanks.<ref name=nowak/> Long, white hairs are present below the eyes, and a wide, black stripe runs over the nose.<ref name=huffman/>
[[File:Sable Profile Chobe.jpg|alt=Sable Antelope|thumb|296x296px|Adult male in Chobe National Park, Botswana]]
Both sexes have ringed horns which arch backwards. In females, these can reach {{convert|61|-|102|cm|in|abbr=on}}, while in males they are {{convert|81|-|165|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref name=estes/> The average lifespan of the sable antelope is 19 years in the wild and 22 years in captivity.<ref name=adw>{{cite web|title=''Hippotragus niger'' (mbarapi or sable antelope) |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Hippotragus_niger/ |work=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology|publisher=Animal Diversity Web |access-date=6 March 2014}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Rappenantilope-06.jpg|Juvenile animal in captivity
File:Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger) young male.jpg|Young bull at [[Tswalu Kalahari Reserve]], South Africa
File:Milwaukee Public Museum February 2023 56 (Africa--Central Africa--Wooded Savanna- Sable).jpg|The ''Wooded Savanna: Sable'' diorama at the [[Milwaukee Public Museum]]
</gallery>

==Behavior==
Sable antelopes live in savanna woodlands and grasslands during the dry season,<ref name="Estes1992">{{cite book|author=Richard Estes|title=The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_0520080858|url-access=registration|quote=sable.|year=1992|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-08085-0}}</ref> where they eat mid-length [[grass]]es and [[leaves]]. They visit [[salt licks]] and have been known to chew bones to collect [[mineral]]s. They are [[diurnal animal|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.<ref name="Roenning">{{Cite web|title=Hippotragus niger (mbarapi)|url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hippotragus_niger/|last=Roenning|first=Eric|website=Animal Diversity Web|language=en|access-date=2020-05-29}}</ref>

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 (ethology)|dominance]], they are able to inflict bodily harm to any contenders.<ref name="Roenning" />

When sable antelopes are threatened by predators, including [[Lion|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.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

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.<ref name="Roenning" />

=== Reproduction ===
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.<ref name="Sable Antelope, Nairobi">{{Cite web|title=Sable Antelope, "Nairobi" -|url=https://outofafricapark.com/meet-the-animals/sable-antelope-zambezi/|access-date=2021-01-21|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Diet ===
Sable antelopes are [[herbivore]]s. They are specialized [[Browsing (herbivory)|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 [[Diurnality|diurnal animals]], meaning they are most active in the daylight, but less active during the hottest part of the day. Like other [[Bovidae|bovids]], they also have a [[ruminant]] digestive system.<ref name="Sable Antelope, Nairobi"/> Because water is essential to the sable antelope's survival, it travels every two to four days to drink at water sources.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00848.x|first1=J. W.|last1=Cain III|first2=N.|last2=Owen-Smith|first3=V. A.|last3=Macandza|title=The costs of drinking: comparative water dependency of sable antelope and zebra|journal= Journal of Zoology|year=2012 |volume=286|issue=1|pages=58–67}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wilson|first1=D. E.|last2=Hirst|first2=S. M.|year=1977|title=Ecology and factors limiting roan and sable antelope populations in South Africa|journal=Wildlife Monographs|volume=54|issue=54 |pages=3–111|jstor=3830391 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3830391}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
The Sable Antelope is featured on the [[Flag of Rhodesia|Rhodesian flag]] and coat of arms. It is also depicted on the [[Coat of arms of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Coat of arms of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]]. It is also the emblem of [[TAAG Angola Airlines]].

The Zimbabwe rugby union national team is [[Zimbabwe national rugby union team|nicknamed]] after the sable antelope.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hippotragus niger}}
{{Wikispecies|Hippotragus niger}}
* [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=625178&source=from_print Information by ITIS]
* [http://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/sable Information by African Wildlife Foundation]

{{Artiodactyla|R.2}}
{{Rhodesian topics}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q239381}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Antelopes of Sub-Saharan Africa|sable antelope]]
[[Category:Fauna of East Africa]]
[[Category:Grazing antelopes|sable antelope]]
[[Category:Herbivorous mammals]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1838|sable antelope]]
[[Category:Mammals of Angola]]
[[Category:Mammals of Botswana]]
[[Category:Mammals of Kenya]]
[[Category:Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
[[Category:Mammals of Malawi]]
[[Category:Mammals of Mozambique]]
[[Category:Mammals of Namibia]]
[[Category:Mammals of South Africa]]
[[Category:Mammals of Tanzania]]
[[Category:Mammals of Zambia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Zimbabwe]]
[[Category:National symbols of Rhodesia]]
[[Category:National symbols of Zimbabwe]]