Learn About Kudu Animal
The Kudus are the two species of antelope following the genus Tragelaphus. They are the two species namely Lesser Kudu and Greater Kudu. Lesser Kudus are found in Eastern Africa of the genus Tragelaphus imberbis. Greater Kudus are found in Eastern and Western Africa of the genus Tragelaphus strepsiceros. These two species possess quite a similarity to each other. The difference they make is the Greater Kudus are larger as compared to the Lesser Kudus.
A large male greater Kudu reaches up to 5 feet tall and the Lesser male Kudu reaches up to 4 feet tall. Both species possess similarities in their physical forms. They have long horns pointing upwards and are slightly back. Which curls in a corkscrew shape.
The original name of the species was koedoe. They got their name in English in the 18th century from isiXhosa iqhude used commonly in the Afrikaans, a west germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia, and even Zimbabwe.
Talking about their habitat, the Lesser Kudus belong to the savanna near Acacia and Commiphora shrubs. They completely rely on thickets for their protection. This is the reason they are rarely seen in the open. They can easily camouflage themselves in scrub environments with the help of their brown and striped pelts.
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Behaviour of the Kudus
Male Kudus are found in bachelor groups and are more likely to be solitary. They are fairly peaceful and the dominant trait does not last for a longer time. The male makes himself look big by making his hair stand on end. When kudus have face-offs, they lock their horns to determine a strong pull. Their necks enlarge during mating season.
During the competition, it is found many times that two males are unable to unlock their horns. If unable to disengage, they would come under the trap of dehydration and starvation. Males are present with females only during the mating season. Calves grow very quickly in the family. The six months old are fairly independent of their mothers.
The pregnant Kudu will even leave the herd to give birth to the offspring. She leaves the offspring for 4 to 5 weeks hidden and comes only to nurse it. It is by far the longest nursing period for any antelope.
The calf then starts accompanying its mother for shorter durations. During 3 to 4 months, the calf will be with its mother most of the time. At six months, the junior and the mother rejoin the group.
When they are threatened, they prefer to run away rather than give up. Wounded bulls are found to charge an attacker. They hit the attacker with their sturdy horns rather than stabbing.
Wounded females are capable of running for many miles. They can run without stopping to rest for more than a minute. They are great kickers and are capable of breaking wild dog’s or jackal’s neck. They are great jumpers and can clear a 5 feet fence from a standing start.
Diet
Kudus enjoy eating leaves and shoots. They are browsers. To maintain their liquid content during the dry season, they eat watermelons and other fruits. These fruits also help them consume the natural sugars they have. The Lesser Kudu is less dependent on water sources as compared to the Greater Kudu. This makes them less water kudu.
Predators
Predators such as Lions, leopards, African wild dogs, hyenas, pythons. They hunt Kudu and their offspring. There is a variation in Kudu numbers by humans attacking Kudus for their meat, horns, and hides. Humans use their habitat for charcoal burning and farming.
Kudus are also susceptible to the rinderpest virus. The virus is now eradicated after vaccination in domestic cattle. Scientists believe that recurring epidemics reduced the Kudu population in East Africa.
In the times of extended droughts, Kudus were even susceptible to rabies disease. When infected, they have been known to enter farmhouses and other buildings. Animals, if infected, appear tame and have a distinct frothing at the mouth. Kudus may sometimes attack humans who get too close to them.
White Kudu
The white Kudus are wild buck prevalent in South Africa. These White Kudus weigh up to 270 kg and cows up to 210 kg. They have horns up to 150 cm and cows possess no horns.
Between their eyes lies a white chevron mark. The white Kudus are usually found in hilly terrain or close to such. They are found in typical undergrowth in the Bushveld region.
They quietly disappear among plants and thickest due to their ability to move without noise while they graze.
Black Kudu
The Black Kudu gets their colour from the recessive gene. It is not because of inbreeding.
They have the same traits as White Kudu. Black Kudu measure the same weight as white Kudu and have similar-sized horns on them.
Greater Kudu
The greater kudu is the biggest kudu. They are also called giant kudu. Very large. The male has thick, spiral horns which can reach six feet in length. The males have fringes of hair in good volume going down from the chin to the neck. Lesser kudu does not have throat mane.
Both Lesser and Greater kudu have 6 to 10 vertical white stripes on their sides. They have exceptionally large pink ears, which give them excellent hearing capability.
They are related to buffaloes and are engaged in social licking. This trait is commonly rare in antelopes. Their tongue is used for gathering and grasping food. Greater Kudu can stay for a longer period without drinking. They obtain sufficient moisture from the food they consume. When vegetation becomes dry, they quickly become water-dependent. Their diet includes leaves, roots, grass, and sometimes tubers and fruits.
Their mating season is from May to August. The male kudu continues to grow his neck, shoulders, and horns throughout their life.
Kudu offspring grow in tall grass or any other covered region. They remain hidden there for about 3 weeks. Their offspring remain with their mother’s herd for about 2 years. A typical female Kudu herd has about 12 members. The vertical stripe on their side provides camouflage in their natural habitat. They also emerge from the forest at night to feed. They are active in the early morning and evening.
Their habitat includes mixed scrub acacia woodlands, mopane woodlands on lowland, hills, and mountains. The Greater Kudu has even been found at up to 7800 feet of height in Ethiopia.
Greater Kudu are not territorial, instead, they have home areas. The maternal herds have home ranges of approximately 4 square kilometers. Their home can overlap with other maternal herds. Adult males have home ranges of about 11 square kilometers. They generally encompass the range of two or three female groups.
Females sometimes can form a group of 20 individuals. Male Kudu usually form fewer bachelor groups. The males are not usually aggressive towards each other. Sparring may sometimes occur between males. This usually happens when both are of similar size and structure. They display dominance until one male exhibits the lateral display.
It is found rare that a greater kudu herd can reach up to 40 individuals. This happens because they have a selective nature in their diet. It usually makes foraging food difficult in large groups. The herd’s area encircles 800 to 1500 acres of land. They spend an average of 54% of their day foraging for food.
Rowland Ward Kudu
British taxidermist James Rowland Ward was famous for his taxidermy skills on birds and big game trophies. He founded his company that worked exclusively in creating furniture and other practical items from tusks, antlers, and other animal parts. He also maintained a record book and our Kudu sometime around 2012 occupied second position in this record book gaining the name Rowland Ward Kudu.
Lesser Kudu
Lesser Kudu is one of the most striking species of the antelope family. Their tails are brown on top and white underneath. They are held upright when an animal flees. They travel in bounding leaps at a time.
Talking about their conservation status, they are near-threatened species. They faced their greatest threat during the outbreak of the rinderpest virus. Rinderpest virus was closely related to the measles virus. It had a whopping ability to kill around 95% of herds that encountered it. Although scientists have found that the virus was completely eradicated in 2011. Since then the population of lesser kudu is expected to recover.
Hunting is the main factor in the conservation of Lesser Kudu. The shyness of Kudu keeps them away from any human interaction and keeps them protected in the forest. They are still pursuing their meat and horns. Their horns are hollowed out and used as wind instruments in spiritual rituals.
About a third of the population of Lesser Kudu is found in protected areas. The improved management could offer a more optimal survival of these species. With the eradication of the Rinderpest virus, their species count has been more promising since then.
FAQs on Kudu
1. What are Some Lesser-Known Facts on Kudu?
Ans: The lesser-known facts on Kudus are the following:
Greater Kudus is one of the greater Kudu
They produce the loudest sound made by any antelope. They make sounds in the form of gruff bark.
Kudu’s horns have a spiral shape in them. This shape allows kudus to spar by interlocking horns. The male proceeds to twist the balance of the opponent. They do so to knock off the opponent and let them throw down. Reports show male kudus found dead with locked horns.
They generate the highest proportion of hunting income in South Africa. ( Around 13.2%)
2. What is the Population of Kudus?
Ans: The total population of Kudus has been estimated at around 482000. This total sums up to 15% in protected areas and 61% on private land. Population trends generally increase in protected areas and private lands and decrease elsewhere.
Their population graph appears stable and is not severely fragmented. The largest population is found in Namibia. They are not originally stated in CITES and USFWS.
They are also one of the most commonly hunted species in South Africa.
3. Throw Some Light on the Reproduction Section of Kudu?
Ans: Greater Kudu reaches sexual maturity between 1 and 3 years of age. Their mating season occurs at the end of the rainy season. This usually fluctuates according to the region and climate.
Before mating, they get into a ritual of courtship where the male stands in front of the female. They engage in a neck wrestle. The male trails the female by giving a low pitch call until the female allows copulating with her.
Their gestation takes around 8 months or 240 days. Calving starts between February and March, usually when the grass tends to be at its highest.
4. How Has Human Interaction Played a Role in the Kudu Population?
Ans: Greater Kudu have both suffered and benefited as well from human interactions. The change that humans invited in the Kudu habitat is that they have turned their habitat into farmland. This in turn has restricted their home range. Human interactions have also resulted in the destruction of woodland cover, which they use for their habitat.
Talking about how they benefited from human interaction, greater kudu is now allowed to occupy wells and irrigation territory. Had there been no human interaction in their habitat, they would have been devoid of water.
5. What is the Range and Ecology of Greater Kudu?
Ans: They are found in Zambia, Angola, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. They extend from the east in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tanzania, and Kenya into the south. They have also been found in small numbers in New Mexico, where they were never released into the wild.
They are one of the largest mammals that prefer to live in settled lands. They occasionally venture into plains only if there is a vast stretch of bushes. They normally avoid open lands to not become easy targets of their predators.
During the day, Greater kudu normally gets active and takes cover under large bushlands. They feed and drink in the early morning and late afternoons. They stay in one area but can go far in search of water during a drought. In Southern Namibia, where water is scarce. They have been found to have covered large areas of land in a very short period of time.
