Quick stats of the Kudu

• Diet: - Herbivore
• Shoulder Height: - 1.34 m
• Weight: - Male - 252 kg
• Weight: - Female - 190 kg
• Lifespan - 16 years

Description

Kudu are browsers and prefer areas quite heavily covered with low trees. They are commonly found in southern Africa and are found in small herds comprising one or two adult males, two or three adult females, and one or more juveniles.

Adult males are easily recognized by their magnificent horns twisted into a characteristic spiral while females have no horns. Their large, rounded ears can be twisted in virtually any direction to locate any sounds of possible threat. The white underside of a kudu tail, which is exposed when running, is claimed to enable members of the herd to see each other more clearly and so remain together when fleeing from a predator.

Males will fight for the privilege of mating and in a few instances dead kudu have been found with their horns inextricably intertwined, presumably having starved as a result of being unable to separate. A single calf is born after a gestation period of 7 months.

Other Names for the Kudu

• Koedoe

Distribution

Distribution map of the Kudu

Taxonomy of the Kudu

• Order - Artiodactyla
• Family - Bovidae
• Sub Family - Bovinae
• Genus - Tragelaphus
• Species - Tragelaphus strepsiceros