Antelopes | Antilopinae
Antelopes (Antilopinae) refers to a group of ruminants mostly found in Africa and Eurasia. They can be browsers or grazers, and have or lack horns and coats. They may as well have or lack fur, depending on where they are found. Most have a robust body with sturdy legs or powerful long hind legs for jumping and escaping predation. You can find them in savannahs, deserts, forested areas, and woodlands. A common feature about antelopes is that they are fast runners and most males are larger than females. Males also are polygamous and prefer to stay in separate herds from females and juveniles. Although smaller antelopes form monogamous pairs. A few notable antelopes include the impalas, saiga, zeren, hirola, kob, and zebra duiker.
Antelopes are a favorite meal for many predators: lions, cheetahs, leopards, and even crocodiles. As a result, they must always be on the lookout for danger. Fortunately, they are blessed with quick long legs that make them agile and capable of leaping very high in the air to avoid predation. Antelopes can also whistle to warn others of attackers.
Antelopes love open savannahs, woodlands, and grasslands where there is plenty of grass, weed, and flowers to eat. Some species also browse bushes, leaves, shoots, and stems while others, especially the duikers, eat insects, small mammals, and birds. Antelopes living in desert areas must eat food with a good amount of water and minerals to help them survive the harsh environment.
Male and female antelopes can exist in groups, pairs, or just alone, like the duikers. For those species living in groups, like the impalas, females also called does form separate herds with their young, while males also known as bucks live in male or bachelor herds and have to fight other bucks for mating rights or controlling a female herd.
