Waterbuck
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Waterbucks are large, stately, easily recognized antelope with straight backs and coarse, shaggy coats. Their coats are gray to grayish-brown, and their legs are darker in color. The animals have conspicuous semi-circular white patches of color on their rumps.
Their long-stranded hair seems to be waterproofed by skin glands as an adaptation to their frequent and lengthy stays in the water. It is generously covered with thin brownish, tar-like grease that has a distinct, turpentine-like odor.
Males have sharply pointed horns that are prominently ringed and strongly curved backwards and upwards. Females do not have horns. The sexes are equal in size and can weigh 600 pounds and stand 39 inches at the shoulder.
Common Waterbucks and Defassa Waterbucks were once considered separate species. Their size and coloration are different, but they hybridize readily wherever their ranges overlap. Most experts now consider them one species.
DISTRIBUTION:
The territorial males defend large areas along streams or bodies of water, usually for the entire year. They seldom move more than a half mile every day, and are most active in the morning and afternoon to evening.
When threatened, they often take to the water to defend themselves in shallow water, or hide in reeds submerged up to the nose. Wounded male waterbucks will attack humans.
When game is plentiful, predators ignore Common Waterbucks because their flesh is tough, stringy, rank and musty-scented.
Waterbucks are gregarious and live in herds of 5-30, led by an old bull. Young males often form separate, independent groups of about the same size. Waterbucks also associate freely with impala and other antelope.
BEHAVIOR:
Common Waterbucks are found in woodland and savanna habitats, but always near permanent water. They are widely distributed in Africa South of the Sahara, particularly in the east and southeast.
DIET:
About 80% of the diet of Common Waterbucks is grass. The remaining 20% is leaves from trees and shrubs. They prefer to eat plant species that impalas and other grazing mammals to not like. They require large quantities of water.
REPRODUCTION and GROWTH:
Males are highly polygamous and defend the harems of cows in their territories against other bulls.
Single births are the norm for Common Waterbucks, after a 7-8 month gestation. Waterbucks live up to 15 years of age in captivity.
