Kudu - Tragelaphus strepsiceros
Kudus may be identified by their very learge ears, white nose stripe
and the magnificently spiralled horns of the males.
Female kudu are gregarious, living
in herds of up to forty members but typically consisting of about
three females and their offspring. Males are not territorial and
their herds tend to have between two and five members but might
occassionally be much larger.
During the winter months when food
becomes scarce, kudu often congregate along river courses. This
is very apparent in Botswana along the Chobe and Linyanti rivers
where large numbers of kudu can be seen from July until the summer
rains arrive.
Acacia leaves form a major part of
a kudu's diet. It will often be noticed that kudu grazing on an
acacia bush will suddenly abandon it, and if they are moving downwind,
will skip a number of similar bushes before eating again. The reason
for this is that once grazing starts, the acacia increases the bitter
tannin level in its leaves which makes it unpalatable to the grazer.
At the same time the acaca also emits a gaseous windbourne warning
to its immediate enighbours, which then in turn increase their tannin
levels as a form of self-preservation.
Kudu that are standing in a thicket
will remain motionless allowing a person to approach withing a few
metres before they flee. When in flight they easily clear obstacles
of up to 2,5 m high.
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