Eland

The spiral-horned eland is one of the biggest antelope species of Africa, displaying tawny colors with black markings throughout their body.

Identification of this species over other antelope species can be difficult, but their spiral horns are a dead giveaway. Between the genders, females boast the biggest horns at up to 27 inches long. This horned beast is not aggressive, living amongst over 500 others in their large, migratory herds.

4 Amazing Eland Facts

• Identification of the eland is difficult to discern from other antelope species. However, they are the largest among them, beaten only by the kudu.
• The average lifespan of eland is 15-20 years. When it captivity, some records indicate that they can live up to 25 years comfortably.
• They have some of the biggest horns seen on an antelope species, reaching up to 26 inches long. Though the females are smaller in every sense, they actually can reach up to 27 inches long with their horns.
• These spiral-horned mammals are not aggressive. In fact, males don’t even become competitive or hostile during mating because there is little competition.

Scientific Name

The scientific name of the eland is Taurotragus oryx. It belongs to the Bovidae family of the Mammalia class. Eland is broken down into two main subspecies – the common eland and the giant eland.

This name is comprised of three main words – tauros, tragos, and oryx. The meanings are mixed in Latin and Greek language. Tauros is the word for a bull, while tragos means goat. Oryx stems from late Middle English and Greek’s “orux,” which is a stonemason’s pickax. It is likely that “oryx” is a reference to the eland’s horns.

Evolution

During the early part of the Miocene, about 20 million years ago, the ancestors of the eland emerged on the evolutionary scene. About 14 million years ago, toward the end of the epoch, the Tragelaphini appeared. During the Pleistocene era, the bovid that would give rise to the common eland roamed northern Tanzania; it was known as Taurotragus arkelli. Scientists have found fossil evidence of early elands dating back to about 11,000 years ago, during the Holocene,  in North Africa.

As members of the Tragelaphini,  elands are also cousins of bongos and kudus (lesser and greater) which they bear a close resemblance to. They are also related to other members of the genus which include bushbuck, nyala, mountain nyala, and the sitatunga. It is also worth noting that elands are actually more closely related to cows.

Appearance

The tawny body of the eland helps it camouflage against arid savannas, while the 12 white stripes give more realistic colors to the area. They have multiple dark markings along their body. They have some of the biggest horns of any antelope, beaten only by the kudu. This spiral-horned antelope species features horns on both the females and males and they are one of the biggest antelopes in the world, standing at nearly 9.5 feet tall (among larger males).

Females tend to weigh a little less than males, ranging from 660 lbs. to 1,300 lbs. Males, on the other hand, weigh approximately 880 to over 2,100 lbs. Though they are able to trot away from predators, they don’t have any physical characteristics beyond camouflage to help them.

Eland vs. Kudu

Though the eland and kudu are both dominant antelope species in Africa, you’ll find that proper identification reveals they are not the same animal. The kudu is much taller and heavier, but they are much lankier. One of the telltale signs of the kudu instead of the eland is the presence of a beard on males, though the colors between the species are quite similar.

Behavior

Elands live in a group with other eland called a herd, which can include up to 500 animals. Despite their large numbers, they aren’t territorial or aggressive, even among males during the breeding season. They tend to roam from place to place, rather than securing a single spot as their own. When they need to rest, they find sheltered areas in their large home range in Africa.

Habitat

The best habitat for eland is one with plenty of food, and they’ll travel a great distance to find it. They seem to adapt well to many areas, including woodlands, grasslands, and savannas. They graze on the land within a herd, though they will separate by males and females.

The two subspecies of eland thrive in different areas of Africa exclusively. The common eland prefers the climate in eastern and southern regions, while the giant eland thrives in central and western areas. They migrate seasonally to seek out food, and they can go long spans of time without water because they retain hydration so well.

Diet

The diet of an eland is primarily made up of high-protein plants. The preferred food of this antelope species is the leaves of flowering plants, but they aren’t picky. They typically go for whatever happens to be available, allowing them to indulge in the leaves from shrubs, trees, grasses, and seeds. To maintain hydration, this device will also increase its natural temperature, allowing them to use low-quality plants as part of their diet.

Predators and Threats

Elands are herbivores, so they don’t go after prey of any kind. However, their substantial meat makes them an essential part of the food chain with multiple predators.

While mothers protect their young from predators with their horns, these animals mostly defend themselves from predators with their agility and ability to continue trotting indefinitely. Even though they cannot run more than 25 miles per hour, they can scale up to a 2-meter fence, and they don’t show much fear for potential predators.

What Eats Eland?

Even though they are the biggest antelope species in the world, they are the ideal meal for many large predators. Some of the typical predators that make them a part of their diet include lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and wild dogs. Due to how large this species is, the only predators that can realistically catch and eat the adults are leopards and spotted hyenas. Other predators primarily go after the calves.

What Do Eland Eat?

Eland doesn’t eat meat, so they don’t have any prey to speak of. Instead, they prefer high-protein leaves and plants that they can graze on comfortably.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

When elands mate, the male will pursue females in green plains, chasing them to determine if they are ovulating and to test out their urine. Once paired with a mate, the female is pregnant for approximately 274 days, which is just over nine months. They give birth to up to 2 live calves, and females often take multiple partners in their lifetime.

The babies of elands are called calves, and they nurse from their mother for up to six months. The fat in the milk is high, which helps to improve the growth of calves quickly. The mother isn’t on her own to raise her young – she has the help of her entire herd that works as a family.

The average lifespan of the eland is 15-20 years, though elands in captivity are known to live up to 25 years in good conditions.

Population

Currently, there are 136,000 of these animals in the world, and they are primarily found in Africa. The population is steady, and the IUCN has assigned a conservation status of “least concern.”

1. ITIS, Available here: https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=625126#null
2. Wikipedia, Available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_eland
3. Bwindi Forest, Available here: https://www.bwindiugandagorillatrekking.com/tag/what-does-eland-meat-taste-like/
4. Wikipedia, Available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_eland
5. Safari Bookings, Available here: https://www.safaribookings.com/blog/5-fascinating-facts-about-the-eland
6. Kidadl, Available here: https://kidadl.com/animal-facts/common-eland-facts
7. African Wildlife Foundation, Available here: https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/eland
8. San Diego Zoo, Available here: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/spiral-horned-antelope