Alcelaphus tora, Gray, 1873

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 : 651-652

146.

Tora Hartebeest

Alcelaphus tora

French: Bubale tora / German: Tora-Kuhantilope / Spanish: Alcelafo de Etiopia

Taxonomy. Alcelaphus tora Gray, 1873 ,

Dembelas, Bogos, Eritrea.

Formerly considered a subspecies of A. buselaphus , which is now extinct. 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. Savannas of Eritrea and NW Ethiopia; probably extinct in Sudan.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 200 cm, tail 50 cm, shoulder height 130 cm; weight 160 kg. In males, horn circumference is low relative to skull length. Measurements for males: greatest skull length 48-48-7 cm, horn span 122-128% of basal length, and least frontal width 65-67% of biorbital width. The horns turn slightly up, then point outward and upward, and finally upward again, forming a shape between a U and a V when seen from the front. The skull is more lightly built than in any other hartebeest, and it is the least sexually dimorphic in this character, in pedicle height, and (second only to the Kongoni, A. cok) in horn circumference. It belongs to the “lightly armed” East African group of hartebeest species. The color is pale tawny, the rump patch dirty white; the tail tuft and front of forelegs black.

Habitat. There is no specific information available for this species, but in general it occurs in tropical and subtropical dry savannas and grasslands.

Food and Feeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but hartebeest feed on grasses. Their narrow heads are well suited to selecting tender grass leaves from among the poorer quality stems and stalks.

Breeding. There is no specific information available for this species, but its “lightly armed”status and relative lack of sexual dimorphism suggest less intense seasonality in breeding, and hence less intermale fighting, than in some other hartebeest.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but most hartebeest are diurnal, alternating foraging and resting periods.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. There is no specific information available for this species, but other hartebeest are gregarious animals often seen feeding in herds of around 20. When there is an abundance of fresh grass, many more may gather.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List (as A. buselaphus tora ). The range of this species was more or less along the Sudan —Ethiopian border from Lake Turkana north to western Eritrea. Recent surveys in Ethiopia have failed to find it; whether it still occurs in Eritrea is unknown. The region from the east side of Lake Turkana north to the Dinder River ( Ethiopia — Sudan border) was thought to be a hybrid zone between the Lelwel Hartebeest (A. lelwel) and the Tora Hartbeest. The total population numbers less than 250 mature individuals,is still declining, and no subpopulation contains 50 or more mature individuals, according to the latest assessment. As with other hartebeest species, habitat loss, overhunting, and competition with livestock are thought to be the important causes of population decline.

Bibliography. Capellini & Gosling (2006).

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. Savannas of Eritrea and NW Ethiopia ; probably extinct in Sudan .