Jackson’s Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus jacksoni)
Size:
Head and body: 160-215cm
Height: 107-150cm
Weight: 116-185kg female,
125-218kg male
Description:
Looks like a creature out of
the tales of Narnia. Light brown,
up-sloping body, curved horns on hollow bases (pedicels) on both sexes,
elongated forehead. Closely related to
the wildebeest.
Breeding:
In Uganda, breeding happens almost
exclusively in May, at the end of the rainy season. In other areas it may continue throughout the
year. Single offspring born after
8-month gestation. Growth rates depend
on nutrition. Sexual maturity at 1 year
for some, up to 4 years for others
Where to look for them:
This is the only national
park in Uganda
where you can see the Jackson’s
hartebeest (Kidepo). Often mixed with
female herds of waterbuck. Most often
found in the edge areas (ecotones) between woodlands and savannah.
What to notice:
- Hartebeest females do not belong to “harems”
controlled by one male. They move
freely through the territories of as many as 30 males to find the most
suitable mate.
Conservation Status:
Meat is apparently very
tasty, and the animal is easy to hunt.
Also challenged by competition from livestock. Currently not endangered, but one subspecies
has become extinct and several others are at low levels
Lifespan: Up to 19 years
Detailed information:
Habitat:
Grassland
savannah throughout SSA, esp. boundaries between open grassy plains and
parkland, woodland or scrub). During dry
season they are found in drainage lines for access to water, and during the
rains they are found in higher, thinly-grassed woodlands (Kingdon, p. 429).
Preference for
short-grass areas (Estes, p. 134)
Territories
generally include at least 2 plant communities and access to water (but not too
close) (Estes, p. 140).
Range/Parks:
Found throughout
SSA. Lelwel subspecies is most widely
distributed and is hybridizing with other subspecies (Kingdon, p. 429).
Home Range:
Female herds will
have a home range of 3.7-5.5 sq. km., which may overlap 20-30 territories. They will spend from a few hours to a few
weeks in a given territory (Estes, p. 139)
Food/Water:
Eat almost all
grasses and all parts of grasses. One
grass that is avoided is Cyndon,
which is eaten by many other herbivores.
Broad-leaf foliage accounts for less than 5% of diet (Kingdon, p. 429).
Will drink
regularly when available, but can go long periods deriving moisture from
shrubs, succulents and melons (Walker,
p. 180)
Associated with
red-oat grass (Themeda triandra) and
scrub acacia such as the whistling thorn (Estes, p. 139)
Breeding:
In Uganda,
breeding happens almost exclusively in May, at the end of the rainy
season. In other areas it may continue
throughout the year (Kingdon, p. 430)
Single offspring
born after 8-month gestation. Growth
rates depend on nutrition. Sexual
maturity at 1 year for some, up to 4 years for others (Kingdon, p. 430)
Social
Organization:
Females are
gregarious and move in search of good grass.
Males are
territorial, particularly during breeding, and mark territory boundaries with
dung and urine. Territories generally
consist of all the vegetation zones up a slope, and neighboring territories
will add pressure from the sides, not above or below (Kingdon, p. 430)
Occasionally
found in large, dense herds. Populations
boom and bust depending on drought conditions and competition from livestock
(Kingdon, p. 430)
Generally
“sedentary-dispersed”, which means they are non-migratory, and do not usually
aggregate, although in the past groupings of thousands were recorded (Estes, p.
139)
Female
hierarchical herds will roam through the territories of many males. While within a territory, males and females
remain distant except when actively courting or mating (mean distance 86m
compared to 6m between females) (Estes, p. 139)
Males often stay
with mother for up to 2 ½ years, and mature at 3-4 years. They are tolerated by dominant male due to appeasement ceremony (head tucked in,
horns parallel to ground) and the protectiveness of the mother, who may leave
if the son is forced away (Estes, p. 139)
After leaving
natal herd, males will form all-male herds of up to 35, sometimes more around
watering holes during dry season. If a
male achieves high status in the bachelor herd, he will try to form his own
territory around 3-4 years old (Estes, p. 140)
Prime territories
are passed on unchanged, and dispossessed bulls usually attempt to regain their
territory. Low-value territories are
generally not contested and may even remain unoccupied if abandoned (Estes, p.
140)
Communication:
Males posture with head upright and legs
placed back (sometimes while defecating) to indicate readiness to mate, to
attract females, and to discourage other males from approaching (Kingdon, p.
430)
“Challenge Ritual” – One male defecates while
a second “incisor-grooms” his flank (displacement grooming). (Estes, p. 135)
Activity
Patterns:
Have not been
extensively studied. In Congo, one herd
was observed resting an average of 4 hours, 25 minutes per day spread out over
2-3 resting sessions between
and . Sleep happened a few minutes at a time,
characterized by the chin resting on the ground. Male spends little time laying down, instead
advertising his presence by standing on a termite mound (Estes, p.140)
Lifespan:
Up to 19 years (Kingdon, p. 430)
Sign:
Droppings, about
1cm long, often found under acacia trees, as they rest in shade during the heat
of the day (Walker, p. 180)
Track 11 – 12 cm
long (Walker,
p. 180)
Predators:
Lion, leopard, wild dogs (Walker, p. 180)
References:
Estes, R. (1991).
The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. Berkeley, CA: The University of California
Press.
Kingdon, J.
(1997). The Kingdon Field Guide to
African Mammals. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton
University Press.
Walker, C.
(1996). Signs of the Wild: A Field Guide
to the Spoor & Signs of the Mammals of Southern Africa.
(5th Edition). Cape Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers Ltd.
Photo by Charles Steinberg