At 3 or 4 months, the calf will be with its mother constantly, and at about six months they will rejoin the group. Then the calf will start accompanying its mother for short periods. She will leave the newborn lying hidden for 4–5 weeks while coming back only to nurse it, which is the longest nursing period of any antelope species. Calves grow quickly and at six months are largely independent of their mothers.Ī pregnant female will leave the herd to give birth to a single offspring. Males are seen with females only in the mating season, when they join in groups of 5–15 kudus, including offspring. Sometimes two competing males are unable to unlock their horns and, if unable to disengage, will die of starvation or dehydration. When males do have a face-off, they will lock their horns in a competition to determine the stronger puller kudus' necks enlarge during the mating season for this reason. Their dominance displays tend not to last long and are generally fairly peaceful, consisting of one male making himself look big by making his hair stand on end. Their brown and striped pelts help to camouflage them in scrub environments.įleeing Kudu at Etosha National Park in NamibiaĪs in many other antelopes, male kudus can be found in bachelor groups, but they are more likely to be solitary. They rely on thickets for protection, so they are rarely seen in the open. Lesser kudus occupy savanna near Acacia and Commiphora shrubs. Strepho (Greek) means 'I twist', and strephis is 'twisting'. Tragos (Greek) denotes a he-goat and elaphos (Greek) a deer. Kudu, or koodoo, is the Khoikhoi and seTswana name for this antelope. The name of the animal was imported into English in the 18th century from isiXhosa iqhude, via Afrikaans koedoe. Males of both species have long horns, which point upward and slightly back, curling in a corkscrew shape.

A large adult male greater kudu stands over 5 feet (1.5 m) tall at the shoulder, and a large male lesser kudu stands about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall. The two species look similar, though greaters are larger than lessers.

Greater kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros, of eastern and southern Africa.

Lesser kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis, of eastern Africa.

The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:

Diamond lesser kudu