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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