The Common Eland… A mighty big piece of meat…

Common elands are spiral-horned antelopes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their horns are not all the same as can be seen in the photo, the cow in the back ground has a longer and wider set.. This is a way of identifying them it is their selection of hats…

Females weigh 300–600 kg (660–1,300 lb.), measure 200–280 cm (79–110 in) from the snout to the base of the tail and stand 125–153 cm (49–60 in) at the shoulder. Bulls weigh 400–942 kg (880–2,080 lb.), are 240–345 cm (94–136 in) from the snout to the base of the tail and stand 150–183 cm (59–72 in) at the shoulder. The tail is 50–90 cm (20–35 in) long.

Both sexes have horns with a steady spiral ridge (resembling that of the bushbuck). The horns are visible as small buds in new born and grow rapidly during the first seven months. The horns of males are thicker and shorter than those of females (males’ horns are 43–66 centimetres (17–26 in) long and females’ are 51–69 centimetres (20–27 in) long), and are more spiral. males use their horns during rutting season to wrestle and butt heads with rivals, females use their horns to stab predators in order to protect their young.

The common eland is the slowest antelope, with a top speed of 40 kilometres (25 mi) per hour that tires them quickly. However, they can maintain a 22 kilometres (14 mi) per hour trot indefinitely. Elands are capable of jumping up to 2.5 metres (8 ft. 2 in) from a standing start when startled (up to 3 metres (9.8 ft.) for young elands). The common eland’s life expectancy is generally between 15 and 20 years; in captivity some live up to 25 years.

Eland herds are accompanied by a loud clicking sound that has been subject to considerable speculation. It is believed that the weight of the animal causes the two halves of its hooves to splay apart, and the clicking is the result of the hoof snapping together when the animal raises its leg. The sound carries some distance from a herd, and may be a form of communication.