Sable Antelope
The Sable Antelope is a large mammal native to Southern Africa. It is very distinctive in appearance with a barrel chest, short neck, long face, dark mane and amazing ringed horns that curve backward. They are very horselike in appearance (save for the horns) and adults weigh in at around 500 lbs. They are born a reddish chestnut color and become darker as they age, eventually reaching a very rich brown in females and black in males. Their undersides are bright white, as is their face, which is striped with a beautiful dark line through its center.
Sable Antelopes live in sizable herds consisting of females and young that are led by a single, dominant male. Juvenile males leave the herd at around three years of age and go on to form a pack of bachelors that eventually go on to create their own herds. They live in wooded areas during the rainy season and move out into the grasslands during the dry season. They tend to settle near water, which they are very dependent upon during the dry season.
Females give birth in a secluded area of the bush and leave their calf there hidden there for several weeks, returning regularly to nurse it. Calves are born a very light sandy color which provides them with the camouflage needed to protect them from predators like wild dogs, leopards, lions and hyenas. The typical life span of a Sable Antelope is approximately 17 years.
Sable Antelopes live in sizable herds consisting of females and young that are led by a single, dominant male. Juvenile males leave the herd at around three years of age and go on to form a pack of bachelors that eventually go on to create their own herds. They live in wooded areas during the rainy season and move out into the grasslands during the dry season. They tend to settle near water, which they are very dependent upon during the dry season.
Females give birth in a secluded area of the bush and leave their calf there hidden there for several weeks, returning regularly to nurse it. Calves are born a very light sandy color which provides them with the camouflage needed to protect them from predators like wild dogs, leopards, lions and hyenas. The typical life span of a Sable Antelope is approximately 17 years.