The lechwe, or southern lechwe, (Kobus leche) is an antelope found in Botswana,Zambia, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northeastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the Okavango Delta, Kafue Flats and Bangweulu Swamps.
Lechwe stand 90 to 100 cm (35 to 39 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 120 kg (150 to 260 lb). They are golden brown with white bellies. Males are darker in colour, but general hue varies depending on subspecies. The long, spiral-structured horns are vaguely lyre-shaped, they are found only in males. The hindlegs are somewhat longer in proportion than in other antelopes, to ease long-distance running in marshy soil.
Lechwe are found in marshy areas where they eat aquatic plants. They use the knee-deep water as protection from predators. Their legs are covered in a water-repellant substance which allows them to run quite fast in knee-deep water.
Lechwe are diurnal. They gather in herds which can include many thousands of individuals. Herds are usually all of one sex, but during mating season they mix.
[edit]Subspecies
Traditionally, four subspecies of the lechwe have been recognized.[2][3]Additionally, the Upemba lechwe, which only was described in 2005, is treated as a subspecies of the lechwe by some authorities.[1]
- Red lechwe or Zambesi lechwe (K. l. leche) - most of range, overall tawny-fawn with black to front of front legs
- Kafue lechwe or brown lechwe (K. l. kafuensis) - Kafue Flats, as previous, but front legs almost entirely black,vulnerable.[4]
- Roberts' lechwe or Kawambwa lechwe (K. l. robertsi) - formerly near Kawambwa,extinct.[5]
- Black lechwe or Bangweulu lechwe (K. l. smithemani) - Bangweulu Swamps, adult males blackish, vulnerable[6]
- Cape lechwe or Venter's lechwe (K. l. venterae) - now extinct, but formerly inhabited the marshes and fens of the North West, Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa, as far south as Cradock and Tarkastad
An impala (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized African antelope. Impala range between 75 and 95 cm (30 and 37 in) tall and weigh 40–60 kg (88–130 lb).
They are found in savannas and thick bushveld in Kenya, Tanzania, Swaziland, Mozambique, northern Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, southern Angola, northeastern South Africaand Uganda. Impalas can be found in numbers of up to 2.000.000 in Africa.[2]
The black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (Connochaetes gnou) is one of twowildebeest species. The natural populations of this species, endemic to the southern part of Africa, have been almost completely exterminated, but the species has been reintroduced widely, both in private areas and nature reserves throughout most of Lesotho,Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya. It was also introduced outside its natural range (Wilson & Reeder, 1993; East, 1989, 1996).[full citation needed]
The primal herds were exterminated, being seen as pests, with the secondary advantage of using the hides and meat. Thus, this animal exists primarily in herds derived from captive specimens.
Its preferred habitat types are grassveld savanna in the Karoo of the central South Africa plateau (Lynch, 1983; von Richter, 1974).[full citation needed]
The other species of genus Connochaetes is the blue wildebeest, which has a more northerly range.
