Antelopes Species in Uganda

What You Should Know

Uganda alone has 26 antelope species in the 10 national parks and other unprotected areas with lesser concentration of people.

These African Antelopes are in small, medium and large sizes grazing.

They usually graze on savanna grasses except the sitatunga antelopes which love swampy areas.

Antelopes are a common prey to some of Africa’s deadliest predators, for example;

• Leopards
• Lions
• Hyenas
• Crocodiles among others

Where to find them in Uganda

The antelopes roam the savanna plains of Eastern African countries including;

Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania, and Southern African countries like South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Namibia among others.

They exist in the following protected areas of Uganda, for instance;

• Murchison Falls National Park
• Queen Elizabeth National Park
• Lake Mburo National Park
• Kidepo valley National Park
• Semliki National Park

Types of antelopes in Uganda

• The Uganda Kob (Kobus Kob Thomasi)

  

The Kob is undeniably the national animal of Uganda symbolized on the Uganda Coat of Arms.

Additionally, they are the most common among all other antelope species existing in national parks and reserves.

They can be differentiated in the following ways;

• They have a golden reddish-brown coat
• White marks beneath the neck and the belly.
• They live in groups of males, females, and juveniles.
• Sometimes they emerge together having over 35 members in a group.
• Another key point, the males are taller and heavier than the females.

 

• Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus)

  

The klipspringers live in pairs in suitable habitats.

They are commonly spotted in Kidepo Valley and Lake Mburo National Parks.

• The Jackson’s hartebeest

They wear a light brown color with an adult male weighing up to 218kgs.

The Jackson’s hartebeests also have curved horns, a flat face, elongated forehead.

• The Sitatungas

This type is rare and loves swampy areas, the mashes, thick vegetation and that makes it the semi-aquatic type of antelope.

They have shaggy hairy coat in various colors and they are water-resistant.

The Sitatungas have splayed hooves to suit or easily adapt to the swampy areas.

Sitatungas live in small groups ranging from 2-4 members only.

• Guenthers dik-dik (Modoqua guentheri)

They are found in Kidepo Valley National Park and are small in size wearing a dark red-brown coat.

The Guenthers dik-dik have distinctive white eye markings and very pretty to everyone.

• The Elands

Elands exist in two types, namely;

• The giant eland
• The common eland

The giant one being the largest and the common eland on medium sized measuring up to 180cm tall.

Its growth can reach that of a cow or generally cattle with a light yellowish tan color and a black flap of skin between its throat and the chest.

The males have twisted thick horns and spiraled in shape.

• The Greater Kudu

These are woodland antelopes with long legs, large horns.

The Greater Kudu have 4-12 vertical white side stripes and brown-grey color or reddish-brown colors believed to be the second largest antelopes after the Elands.

• The Grant’s gazelles

They are among the commonest in Uganda together with the Uganda Kobs.

The Grant’s gazelles have long and spiral shaped horns

Note that they also have shiny brown coat with the lower areas and inner thigh-legs being purely white.

Prefer to live in large groups to stay safer from their predators like the lions, leopards and hyenas.

• The Impalas
• The common Impalas.
• The larger dark black faced Impalas.

The adults weigh between 40-70kgs wearing a reddish-brown coat and can stretch up to 70-95 shoulder height.

• The Reedbucks

The reebuck bears small crescent shaped horns. They are Grey-brown in color. Meanwhile, they are subdivided into two species that include;

• The Bohor reedbuck common in all the four Savannah national parks of Uganda.
• The mountain reedbuck only found in kidepo Valley National Park because they love higher altitudes.

 

• The bushbucks

Bush bucks weigh about 25 to 80 kilograms and they are common in various habitats from time to time. For example;

• Rain forests
• Montane forests
• Forest-savanna mosaics
• Bush savannahs

 

• The Forest duikers

The forest duikers are relatively large with a striking yellow back subdivided into 4 species which include;

The Harvey’s red duiker

• They are tiny with a chestnut-brown color.
• They are common in the forested areas of Queen Elizabeth national park and Kibale forest National Park.

The blue duiker

• It is smaller wearing a Grey-blue coat.
• The blue duiker is common in Queen Elizabeth, Murchison falls, Kibale and Bwindi National Parks.

Peter’s duiker

• Similarly, this can be found in Bwindi, kibale and Queen Elizabeth national parks.

The black-fronted duiker

This is sighted in the Bwindi Forest Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

• The oribis

  

They have a red-brown back, white bellies and a diagnostic black scent gland under its ears.

• The waterbuck

  

Defassa waterbucks bear a shaggy coat which is reddish brown and grey in color.

They are classified into two groups that undoubtedly include;

• The Ellipsen
• The defassa waterbucks.

Lastly, Uganda has a total of 26 antelope species altogether in the 10 national parks of Uganda until now.