Alcelaphus major (Blyth, 1869)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Bovidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-779 : 651

144.

Western Hartebeest

Alcelaphus major

French: Bubale kanki / German: Westafrika-Kuhantilope / Spanish: Alcelafo occidental

Other common names: Kanki

Taxonomy. Boselaphus major Blyth, 1869 ,

Gambia; type locality fixed by Schwarz in 1920.

Formerly considered a subspecies of A. buselaphus , which is now extinct. A phylogeny of hartebeest based on the control region of mtDNA found a clean division between this species and all the others; it belongs in a clade with the East African species, separate from the two southern African species. In the late 20" century,it was customary for all or most hartebeest to be included as subspecies of A. buselaphus . There seems no particular reason for them to have been placed in a single species, and the more we learn about them the more distinct they are found to be. Monotypic.

Distribution. From Senegal in the W to the sources of the LLogone River in the Central African Republic; somewhat to the S of the W end of the distribution of the Lelwel Hartebeest ( A. lelwel ).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 200-250 cm, tail 50-57 cm, shoulder height up to 143 cm (males); weight 145 kg (one individual). The largest species of hartebeest. Horns are robust, strongly twisted, U-shaped from the front like the Bubal Hartebeest (A. buselaphus ), but with the tips turned sharply backward. Hartebeest species broadly speaking divide into a “heavily armed” and a “lightly armed” group. This species belongs to the heavily armed group, whereas the Bubal Hartebeest belonged to the lightly armed group. Greatest skull length is 47-528 cm in males; horn span is 64-83% of basal length in males; and least frontal width is 76-87% of biorbital width. In robusticity, as measured by skull weight,this species is comparatively less sexually dimorphic than most other hartebeest, and it also has a low degree of sexual dimorphism in pedicle height. The pelage color is uniform tan brown, with no dark markings except on the lower forelegs and a black tail tuft. Some individuals have a thin white band between the eyes.

Habitat. In Pendjari National Park, Benin, a typical environment for this species, the habitat is savanna bushland with open woodland, predominantly Acacia, Combretum, and Terminalia, interspersed. Dominant medium to long grasses are Andropogon, Hyperrhenia, and Panicum.

Food and Feeding. In a study in Burkina Faso, it was found that during the rainy season more than 95% of the diet consisted of grass, predominantly Andropogon and Hyparrhenia, whereas in the dry season this proportion dropped to about 80%. The proportion of grass in the diets of other antelopes, such as the Roan Antelope ( Hippotragus equinus ), dropped well below this. It is plausible that the great facial elongation of A. gives it an advantage over sympatric bovids at this time of dietary stress.

Breeding. The breeding season is relatively extended (more than three months), more than in any other species except for the Kongoni (A. cokii), and this has been linked to its relatively low degree of sexual dimorphism in skull weight and pedicle height; fighting need not be as intense as in a species with a short breeding season.

Activity patterns. This species,like other hartebeest, is diurnal. It runs at great speed, up to 80 km /h.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Males are territorial, the territories averaging 31 ha.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List (as A. buselaphus ). There are thought to be about 36,000 animals remaining, with more than 95% living in and around protected areas. Hunting levels are high, and many populations have undergone declines. Habitat fragmentation and competition with livestock further complicate the conservation of the Western Hartebeest.

Bibliography. Capellini & Gosling (2006), Schuette et al. (1998).

Figures

On following pages: 147. Swayne's Hartebeest (Alcelaphus swaynel); 148. Kongoni (Alcelaphus coki); 149. Lichtenstein's Hartebeest (Alcelaphus lichtensteinii); 150. Red Hartebeest (Alcelaphus caama); 151. Herola (Beatragus hunter).

Distribution. From Senegal in the W to the sources of the LLogone River in the Central African Republic ; somewhat to the S of the W end of the distribution of the Lelwel Hartebeest ( A. lelwel ).