Facts about the Tsessebe -- Damaliscus lunatus:

A summary of most interesting statistics (size, gestation...), amazing environmental adaptations & fascinating facts about social habits, etc.

SIZE: Average shoulder height 1,26 m; mass (m) 140 kg, (f) 126 kg.

COLOUR: Rufous to dark brown, with purplish sheen. Upperparts of legs darker; inside hindlegs and the underside yellowish-white.

GESTATION PERIOD: 8 - 9 months

POTENTIAL LONGEVITY: 20 years

RECORD LENGTH OF HORNS: 48 cm

MOST LIKE: The Red Hartebeest, but the tsessebe's horns are shorter and its shoulders are not as humped as the hartebeest. The tsessebe also lacks the clearly defined white marking so evident on the hartebeest's rump.

HABITAT: Grassland near water and the fringes of woodland.

FOOD:

REPRODUCTION & GESTATION PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION MAP:

WHERE FOUND:
Kruger National Park (South Africa)