Taurotragus

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Eland
Taurotragus oryx
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Genus: Taurotragus
Wagner, 1855
Species

Taurotragus oryx
Taurotragus derbianus

Taurotragus is a genus of antelopes of the African savanna, which are commonly known as Elands. It contains two species: the Common Eland and the Giant Eland.

Elands are the largest African antelopes. Males range in size from 600 to 800 kg (1,300 to 1,800 lb) and may even reach a ton on rare occasions; females range from 400 to 600 kg (880 to 1,320 lb).

The meat of the eland contains more protein than cattle meat and less fat, and eland milk has a very high calcium level. For this reason, eland have undergone selection for meat quality and milk quantity in the Askaniya-Nova Zoological Park in Ukraine. However, domestication of the animal in Europe to take advantage of their nutritional value has thus far been unsuccessful.[1] The common eland is farmed in some parts of Africa, where it is well adapted to local conditions.

Species

Listed alphabetically.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Diamond, Jared (1997). Guns, Germs and Steel. W.W. Norton & Co. p. 167. ISBN 0-393-06131-0. 
  2. ↑ Taurotragus, Mammal Species of the World
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