| Lesser Kudu | |
|---|---|
| Diorama from the Natural History Museum, Bern | |
| Southern Lesser Kudu at the San Diego Zoo | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Genus: | Tragelaphus |
| Species: | T. imberbis |
| Binomial name | |
| Tragelaphus imberbis (Blyth, 1869) |
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The lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) is a forest antelope found in East Africa and (possibly) the southern Arabian Peninsula. The southern lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis australis) is a subspecies found in Kenya and Tanzania.
Lesser kudu range between 90 to 110 cm (35 to 43 in) tall at the shoulder. Females weigh between 50 to 70 kg (110 to 150 lb) and the males between 60 to 90 kg (130 to 200 lb) maximum. Lesser kudu males are grey-brown while females are chestnut with a lighter coat on their underside. Both have about ten white stripes on their backs and two white tufts on the underside of their necks. Males have a small mane and horns of about 70 cm (28 in) with one twist.
Lesser kudu live in dry thorn bush and forest and eat mainly leaves. Lesser kudu are nocturnal and matinine crepuscular. They live in groups of two to five ranging up to twenty-four.
Lesser kudu can jump distances more than 9 m (30 ft) and 2.5 m (8.2 ft) high. They can also reach running speeds of around 90 km/h (56 mph). Unlike its cousin the greater kudu, which is one of the slowest antelopes, the lesser kudu is one of fastest.
The population is in decrease. It is currently estimated at 118,000 individuals[2], in East Africa.
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