| Gerenuk | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Antilopinae |
| Genus: | Litocranius |
| Species: | L. walleri |
| Binomial name | |
| Litocranius walleri (Brooke, 1878) |
|
The Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri), also known as the Waller's Gazelle, is a long-necked species of antelope found in dry bushy scrub and steppe in East Africa, from Somalia and eastern Ethiopia through northern and eastern Kenya to northeastern Tanzania. The word Gerenuk (pronounced with a hard g) comes from the Somali language, meaning “giraffe-necked.” Gerenuk are sometimes also called the Giraffe-necked Antelope. It is the only member of the genus Litocranius.
Gerenuks have a small head for their body, but their eyes and ears are big. Unlike females, males have horns and a more muscular neck. They are brown on their back, and lighter underneath. They have short, black tails. From head to tail, the gerenuk is around 150 cm long. Males are a little taller than females, ranging from 89-105 cm, and the females are 80-100 cm. The male is also heavier than the female, weighing at 45 kg, and females are 30 kg.
Gerenuks eat food from higher places than most other gazelles and antelopes. They do this by standing up on their hind legs, and stretching out their long necks to get food off of tall bushes or small trees. Most of their diet is made up of leaves and shoots of shrubs and trees, but also includes buds, flowers, fruit, and herbaceous plants[2] . Gerenuks do not appear to drink water; they get enough water from the plants they eat. Because of this, they can survive in very dry habitats.
Gerenuk reproduce throughout the year. Females reach sexual maturity at around one year, and males reach sexual maturity at 1.5 years, although in the wild they may only be successful after acquiring a territory (perhaps 3.5 years)[2]. The gestation period is about seven months. They are born one at a time, weighing about 3 kg at birth. Gerenuk can live thirteen years or more in captivity, and at least eight years in the wild.[2]