The Life of Antelopes

While the name antelope has become a catch-all term for many species within the Bovidae family—including the Pronghorn or North American antelope—of the 91 true species of antelopes, all live in Africa, Asia and parts of the Middle East, limited solely to members of the Gazella, Nanger, Eudorcas and Antilope genera. While the lion share of antelope species hail from Africa, fourteen can be found in Asia, where the larger species live and graze in open grasslands, while smaller species such as royal and duiker antelope live in rainforests or wooded areas, where they’re better camouflaged from predators by the surrounding vegetation.

Ruminant Mammals

While all true antelopes are cloven-hoofed, hollow-horned, ruminant mammals, whose multi-chambered stomach allows them to digest fibrous plant matter deemed inedible to non-ruminant species, their roll in ecosystems and food chains is deemed essential, since their plentiful food sources with minimal competition allows them to grow large populations able to withstand predation by a wide assortment of meat eating predators. They also come in a staggering range of sizes and shapes, from the giant six-foot-tall Eland to the ten-inch-tall royal antelope, with some species built for pure speed, while others are known for their olympiad agility.

Varied Mating Habits

Mating and reproduction also varies widely among the many species of antelope, with gestation periods ranging from four to nine months, generally giving birth to one to occasionally two calves per mating season. Mating rituals also vary widely among antelope species, from monogamous relationships to herd species that frequently use male-dominant territories to determine which females to mate with, while still other herds of dominant males give breeding priority to dominant females before mating with other, less assertive females in the herd. After a calf is born, some species hide their young in vegetation for protection, while other species of calves can run with their elders within minutes after birth, making the life of antelopes, wide ranging members of the animal kingdom.