The sable antelope Hippotragus niger
Subfamily Hippotraginae – Horse antelopes
Genus Hippotragus
The sable antelope inhabits savannahs of the southeastern Africa. Adult females and their young live in groups of 10 and more animals. If pastures and watering places are abundant, they stay in the territory of a single dominant male that vigorously defends his territory against any intruding males. While fighting, males may drop to their knees and engage in horn wrestling. New candidates for the position of the dominant male arrive every year and dominant males can not keep their position for longer than two or three years. Older males are solitary or join bachelor groups. Gestation lasts 8.5 months and a single bright-red calf is born by the end of rain season. During the first days of its life, the calf lies still, hiding in the thickets, while its mother is foraging, staying at the hearing distance from her offspring. Sable antelopes reach sexual maturity by the age of 2 years but females do not breed until they are 5 or 6 years old.
