Saturday, September 16, 2006

 

Common Eland II

Browse in morning and evening. Lie in shelter during heat of day. Very shy and difficult to approach. Gregarious, occurring in groups up to 100. Bulls often solitary, but not territorial. Travel long distances during migration. Impregnate forehead tuft with moist or urine-soaked soil and brush this paste on tree trunks, bushes, or walls as a marking. Use horns for fighting and to break branches off trees. Display broadside, keeping head up and away and presenting shoulder region. Males are sexually mature at 4 years of age, females at 3 years. Apparently there is no fixed breeding season but the majority of births are at the beginning of the rainy season. Gestation period is 250-270 days; one calf is usual. Calves form nursery groups; often have closer bonds with other calves than with their mothers. Males decide ranking by their sparring within the nursery group. Females will cooperatively fight predators. Life span is 15-20 years.

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