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The book of antelopes, vol. 4 (of 4) cover

The book of antelopes, vol. 4 (of 4)

Chapter 16: Subfamily VII. TRAGELAPHINÆ.
By Philip Lutley Sclater
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About This Book

This volume provides systematic accounts of large African antelopes, treating hippotragine and tragelaphine groups. It organizes taxa by genus and species, giving detailed morphological descriptions, skull and horn characters, measurements, variations, and subspecies distinctions, along with information on geographic distribution and habitat. Each entry is accompanied by plates and figure descriptions illustrating skins, horns, skulls, and behavior. The text includes identification keys, discussion of taxonomy and synonymy, notes on rarity and extinction for certain species, and an appendix listing species and subspecies newly described during the work.

Subfamily VII. TRAGELAPHINÆ.

General and Colour Characters.—Medium-sized or large bovine Antelopes, typically, but not invariably, marked with transverse white stripes on the body, a pair of white spots on the cheeks, a white stripe running inwards and downwards from the corner of the eye to form an incomplete -shaped mark on the upper half of the nose, a large transverse white patch at the upper and another at the lower extremity of the throat, and a pair of white spots on the front of the pasterns, which are black or brown behind. The belly is never white, and often darker than the sides of the body. The typical colour, as exemplified in the females and young males, is tawny, fawn, or reddish brown; but the adult males often assume a deep brown or slaty hue, and differ strikingly from the females.

Horns generally present only in the male; arising just behind the orbit; usually spirally twisted, and always furnished at the base in front with a longitudinal ridge, which generally curves outwards from the base of the horn.

Skull without anteorbital pits, but with large or small lachrymal vacuities, and usually with large pits on the frontal bones at the apertures of the supraorbital foramina.

Muzzle large and naked.

Mammæ 4.

Range of the Subfamily. Peninsular India and Africa south of the Sahara.

The genera of this subfamily may be tabulated as follows:—

  • a. Hind limbs shorter than fore limbs, so that the withers stand higher than the hind-quarters. Head flatter behind the ears, the parietals and frontals lying almost in the same plane. Horns present in the male only, shorter than the face, not twisted  1. Boselaphus.
  • b. Hind and fore limbs subequal in length, withers not appreciably higher than hind-quarters. Cranium more convex longitudinally. Horns longer than the face, spirally twisted.
  • a1. Horns present only in the male, inserted just behind eye and rising so as to form an obtuse angle with the plane of the face.
  • a2. Horns flat behind at the base, with a strong external basal ridge and rarely more than two complete turns.
  • a3. Hoofs normal, short; back of the pasterns covered with hair.  2. Tragelaphus.
  • b3. Hoofs exceedingly long; back of the pasterns naked.  3. Limnotragus.
  • b2. Horns rounded behind at the base, without external basal ridge, forming an open corkscrew spiral, with three complete turns.  4. Strepsiceros.
  • b1. Horns present in both sexes, inserted farther behind the eye and directed straight backwards in the plane of the face.  5. Taurotragus.