Lechwe

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Lechwe
Juvenile red lechwe in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Kobus
Species: K. leche
Binomial name
Kobus leche
Gray, 1850
Subspecies

Kobus leche leche
Kobus leche kafuensis
Kobus leche robertsi
Kobus leche smithemani
Kobus leche venterae

A female lechwe "flying" over a patch of clear water early in the morning in the Okavango Delta

The lechwe, or southern lechwe, (Kobus leche) is an antelope found in Botswana, Zambia, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northeastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the Okavango Delta, Kafue Flats and Bangweulu Swamps.

Lechwe stand 90 to 100 cm (35 to 39 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 120 kg (150 to 260 lb). They are golden brown with white bellies. Males are darker in colour, but general hue varies depending on subspecies. The long, spiral-structured horns are vaguely lyre-shaped, they are found only in males. The hindlegs are somewhat longer in proportion than in other antelopes, to ease long-distance running in marshy soil.

Lechwe are found in marshy areas where they eat aquatic plants. They use the knee-deep water as protection from predators. Their legs are covered in a water-repellant substance which allows them to run quite fast in knee-deep water.

Lechwe are diurnal. They gather in herds which can include many thousands of individuals. Herds are usually all of one sex, but during mating season they mix.

  • Male red lechwe fighting in the Okavango Delta (1 of 5)

  • The horns can cause considerable damage (2 of 5)

  • The fight can last for over 5 minutes (3 of 5)

  • The defeated male is chased by the victor (4 of 5)

  • The defeated male retreats into water (5 of 5)

Subspecies

Lechwe antelopes in Berlin zoological park

Traditionally, four subspecies of the lechwe have been recognized.[2][3] Additionally, the Upemba lechwe, which only was described in 2005, is treated as a subspecies of the lechwe by some authorities.[1]

  • Red lechwe or Zambesi lechwe (K. l. leche) - most of range, overall tawny-fawn with black to front of front legs
  • Kafue lechwe or brown lechwe (K. l. kafuensis) - Kafue Flats, as previous, but front legs almost entirely black, vulnerable.[4]
  • Roberts' lechwe or Kawambwa lechwe (K. l. robertsi) - formerly near Kawambwa, extinct.[5]
  • Black lechwe or Bangweulu lechwe (K. l. smithemani) - Bangweulu Swamps, adult males blackish, vulnerable[6]
  • Cape lechwe or Venter's lechwe (K. l. venterae) - now extinct, but formerly inhabited the marshes and fens of the North West, Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa, as far south as Cradock and Tarkastad

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Kobus leche. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 10 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
  2. ↑ Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M, eds. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
  3. ↑ Haltenorth, T. & H. Diller. 1980. Mammals of Africa including Madagascar. Harpercollins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-219778-2
  4. ↑ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Kobus leche ssp. kafuensis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  5. ↑ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Kobus leche ssp. robertsi. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  6. ↑ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Kobus leche ssp. smithemani. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 23 July 2008.


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