The male has the same glossy black coat as the typical sable, but its face differs by being mostly black, lacking the white stripe. Pickup horns nearly 65 inches (165 cm) long have been recorded, with tip-to-tip spreads of as much as 35 inches (89 cm). The name niger Harris, 1838 has priority.ĭESCRIPTION Despite its name, this subspecies is actually a little smaller in body than the common sable however, it has much larger horns that are often widely spread at the tips. TAXONOMIC NOTES Includes niger (the so-called black sable from south of the Zambezi River) and kirki (north of the Zambezi and west of the range of the Roosevelt sable). Females north of the Zambezi tend to be reddish brown rather than black.ĭISTRIBUTION Southeastern Angola Zambia except in the far west southeastern Katanga Province in Congo (K) Malawi western and central Tanzania Mozambique the Caprivi Strip in Namibia northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, and the northern Transvaal in South Africa. Adult females south of the Zambezi River also turn blackish, though they tend to be lighter than males. Adult males are glossy black, with a face that is largely white except for a wide black blaze from forehead to nose and a black stripe from eye to muzzle. The Angola national football team is fondly known as the Palancas Negras in honor of the antelope.DESCRIPTION Larger than the other subspecies of sable. The giant sable antelope is a national symbol of Angola and is portrayed on numerous stamps, banknotes, and even passports of the nation. Typically, they will feed on tree leaves, which make up to 90% of their diets, at heights of 40–140 mm (1.6–5.5 in) from the ground, taking only the leaf. One of the reasons for the decline in antelope numbers could be the animals' very specific feeding patterns. Typically, sable antelopes are specialized browsers feeding on foliage and herbs, especially those growing on termite mounds. It is an endangered species it is protected in natural parks, and hunting it is forbidden. The giant sable antelope lives in forests near water, where leaves and tree sprouts are always juicy and abundant. When startled, the antelope normally run for only a short distance before slowing and looking back however, when they are pursued, they can run at speeds up to 35 mph for a considerable distance. Juveniles are hunted by Leopards and hyenas, while adults are only threatened by Lions and crocodiles. In fights, males avoid some serious injuries by kneeling down on their front legs, and engage in horn-wrestling fights. The males can be especially dangerous when hurt, attacked, or approached. Like all antelopes, giant sables are shy by nature, but they can also be very aggressive. Young under two months old typically are light brown and have slight markings. Most sable antelopes have white "eyebrows", their rostra are sectioned into cheek stripes, and their bellies and rump patches are white. Coloration in bulls is black, while females and young are chestnut, except in southern populations, where females turn brown-black. The horns are massive and more curved in males, reaching lengths of 81–165 cm (32–65 in), while females' horns are only 61–102 cm (24–40 in) in length. Females weigh 220 kg and are slightly shorter than males. The male antelope weighs an average of 238 kg (520 lb) with a height of 116–142 cm (46–56 in). Males and females are very similar in appearance until they reach three years of age, when the males become darker and develop majestic horns. The giant sable antelope is evaluated as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.īoth sexes have horns, which can reach 1.5 meters in length. In African mythology, just like other antelopes, they symbolize vivacity, velocity, beauty and visual sharpness. This was perhaps one of the reasons the animals survived the long civil war. The giant sable antelope is the national symbol of Angola, and is held in a great regard by its people. Pedro vaz Pinto, was able to obtain photographic evidence of one of the remaining herds from a series of trap cameras installed in the Cangandala National Park, south of Malanje. In January 2004, a group from the Centro de Estudos e Investigação Científica of the Catholic University of Angola, led by Dr. There was a great degree of uncertainty regarding the number of animals that survived during the Angolan civil war. Giant Sable Antelope, ( Hippotragus niger variani), also known in Portuguese as the palanca-negra-gigante, is a large, rare subspecies of sable antelope native and endemic to the region between the Cuango and Luando Rivers in Angola.
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