Common Eland

Tragelaphus Oryx

General Description

Scientific Name: Tragelaphus oryx

Subspecies: 3 subspecies

Cape Eland (T. o. oryx)
Livingston's Eland (T. o. livingstonii)
Patterson's Eland (T. s. pattersonianus)

Status: Least Concern (stable)

Population Estimate: 90,000-110,000

Population in Assessed Areas: 370

Diet: Herbivore - browser & grazer.

Male Size: 500-942 Kgs

Female Size: 340-445 Kgs

Trophy Size: 60 cm minimum (SCI)

Generation Length: 7.8 years

Reproductive Season: July - August

Time of Activity: Diurnal

Description: Common elands are spiral-horned antelopes. They are sexually dimorphic, with females being smaller than the males.[10] Females weigh 300–600 kg (660–1,320 lb), measure 200–280 cm (79–110 in) from the snout to the base of the tail and stand 125–153 cm (49–60 in) at the shoulder. Bulls weigh 400–942 kg, are 240–345 cm from the snout to the base of the tail and stand 150–183 cm (59–72 in) at the shoulder. The tail is 50–90 cm long. Male elands can weigh up to 1,000 kg where high quality habitat is present, whilst some herds, like those in the Drakensberg mountains, will only reach around 600 kg Max, due to the lack of quality feed.

Their coat differs geographically, with elands in northern part of their range having distinctive markings (torso stripes, markings on legs, dark garters and a spinal crest) that are absent in the south. Apart from a rough mane, the coat is smooth. Females have a tan coat, while the coats of males are darker, with a bluish-grey tinge. Bulls may also have a series of vertical white stripes on their sides (mainly in parts of the Karoo in South Africa). As males age, their coat becomes more grey. Males also have dense fur on their foreheads and a large dewlap on their throats. Both sexes have horns with a steady spiral ridge (resembling that of the bushbuck).

The horns are visible as small buds in newborns and grow rapidly during the first seven months. The horns of males are thicker and shorter than those of females (males' horns are 43–66 cm (17–26 in) long and females' are 51–69 cm (20–27 in) long), and have a tighter spiral. Males use their horns during rutting season to wrestle and butt heads with rivals, while females use their horns to protect their young from predators.

Ecology: Common elands are nomadic and crepuscular. They eat in the morning and evening, rest in shade when hot, and remain in sunlight when cold. They are commonly found in herds numbering up to 500, with individual members remaining in the herd from several hours to several months. Juveniles and mothers tend to form larger herds, while males may separate into smaller groups or wander individually. During estrus, mainly in the rainy season, groups tend to form more regularly. In Southern Africa, common elands will often associate with herds of zebras, roan antelopes and gemsbok.

Common elands tend to browse during drier winter, but also graze during the rainy season when grasses are more common and nutritious. They require a high-protein diet of succulent leaves from flowering plants, but will consume lower-quality plant material if available, including forbs, trees, shrubs, grasses, seeds, and tubers. Grasses that elands eat include Setaria and Themeda and fruits from Securinega and Strychnos. They can survive on lower-quality food in times of little rain.

Most of their water is obtained from their food, though they drink water when available. As they quickly adjust to the surroundings due to seasonal changes and other causes, they change their feeding habits. They also use their horns to break off branches that are hard to reach.

Behavior: Common elands communicate via gestures, vocalizations, scent cues, and display behaviors. The flehmen response also occurs, primarily in males in response to contact with female urine or genitals. Females urinate to indicate fertility during the appropriate phase of their estrous cycle, as well as to indicate their lack of fertility when harassed by males. If eland bulls find any of their predators nearby, they bark and attempt to attract the attention of others by trotting back and forth until the entire herd is conscious of the danger.

In historic times, Common eland used to make long distance migrations, the most notable of which was the Drakensburg migration. During the spring and summer, they would ascend up the mountains, following the flush of greening vegetation as they go. Then during the fall, they used to descend back down the mountain, and into the lowland plains, avoiding the cold mountain weather.

Predation Some of their main predators include lions, African wild dogs, cheetahs, and spotted hyenas. Eland calves are more vulnerable than adults to their predators. In the Drakensberg mountains, elands were once the main prey for populations of Cape Lions, that would often move with the migrating herds up and down the mountains, following the seasons. Due to their size, eland are most vulnerable to predation from a wide range of predators when young or infirm, though healthy adults can still be killed by lions on occasion.

Reproduction: Females are sexually mature at 15 to 36 months and males at 4 to 5 years. Mating may occur anytime after reaching sexual maturity, but is mostly seen in the rainy season. In Zambia, young are born in July and August, while elsewhere this is the mating season. Mating begins when elands gather to feed on lush, green plains with plentiful grass, and some males and females start mating with each other in separate pairs. Males chase the females to find out if they are in estrus. They also test the female's urine. Usually, a female chooses the most dominant and fit male to mate with. Sometimes, she runs away from males trying to mate, causing more attraction. This results in fights between males, in which their hard horns are used. A female allows a male to mount after two to four hours. Males usually keep close contact with females in the mating period. The dominant male can mate with more than one female. Females have a gestation period of nine months, and give birth to only one calf each time.

Males, females, and juveniles each form separate social groups. The male groups are the smallest; the members stay together and search for food or water sources. The female group is much larger and covers greater areas. They travel the grassy plains in wet periods and prefer bushy areas in dry periods. Females have a complex linear hierarchy. The nursery and juvenile group is naturally formed when females give birth to calves. After about 24 hours of the delivery, the mother and calf join this group. The calves start befriending each other and stay back in the nursery group, while the mother returns to the female group. The calves leave the nursery group when they are at least two years old and join a male or female group.

Conservation Analysis

Current & Historic range: Common Eland formerly occurred throughout the savannah woodlands of eastern and southern Africa, extending into high-altitude grasslands and the arid savannahs and scrublands of the Kalahari and Karoo in southern Africa. It has been eliminated from more than half of its former range by the expansion of human populations (and is now extinct in Burundi), and their numbers have decreased dramatically since the 1970s as a result of civil wars and their aftermath in countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Angola and Mozambique. They have been reintroduced to areas of southern Africa (particularly South Africa) and introduced outside of their natural range to southern and central Namibia (East 1999).

Large populations of the Cape Eland subspecies once existed in the Drakensberg mountains of south-eastern South Africa, once numbering in the tens of thousands. These migrations were disrupted by both wildlife & cattle fencing, likely resulting in a great reduction in population size.

Current & Historic Populations: East (1999) produced a total population estimate of 136,000 (correcting for under-counting biases in aerial surveys), with stable/increasing national populations now confined to Namibia (where the majority are on private land), Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi and possibly Tanzania. Population trends vary from increasing to decreasing within individual protected areas, and are generally increasing on private land and decreasing in other areas. Population increases on private land in both South Africa and Namibia is mostly due to the incentives provided through trophy hunting.

Citing various authors, East (1999) indicates that population density estimates obtained by aerial counts in areas where the species is moderately common generally range from about 0.05-0.4/km². Higher density estimates (0.6-1.0/km²) have been obtained in areas such as Omo National Park (N.P.) in Ethiopia and Nyika N.P. in Malawi (Thouless 2013). Ground surveys or total counts of areas where the species is common have produced similar density estimates.

Threats to Species Survival: Habitat loss (due to expanding human settlements) and poaching for its superior meat have resulted in considerable reductions of range and populations. The Common Eland's habit of wandering over large areas may affect its future in ways that cannot be fully predicted (Thouless 2013), for example it may make the species more vulnerable to poaching or disease. In many areas, they do compete with cattle for grazing resources, hence are less tolerated by some landowners than their smaller relatives, the Greater Kudu.

Recommended Conservation Actions:

Further resource and manage protected areas where Common Eland exist.
Encourage the implementation of economic incentives that allow landowners to profit off the presence of healthy sable population, whether that be through hunting or ecotourism.
Improve the ability for eland populations to move widely across a landscape, allowing for the restorations of historical seasonal migrations between ideal habitats.
Improve survey methods to get accurate population data, such as implementing long-term monitoring programs.

Map of Common Eland Distribution

Common Eland Population Data

Country	Population Estimate	Population Status	Last Assessed
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Uganda
Tanzania
South Sudan
Rwanda
Nigeria
Mozambique
Malawi
Kenya
Gabon
Equatorial Guinea
Democratic Republic of Congo
Central African Republic
Cameroon
Angola
South Africa

*Further data on Greater Kudu populations and harvest numbers outside of South Africa and Namibia are largely incomplete, and hence it has not been evaluated by us. It is our goal to expand into other African Nations soon, so please do be patient with us.

Economic & Cultral Analysis

Ecotourism Value: High

Hunting Value: Very High

Meat Value: High

Average Trophy Value: $2,000 - 3,500 USD

Meat Yield per Animal: 120-450 kg

Economic Value/Impacts: Across the majority of their current and historical range, Common Eland have been held in great regard as a desirable food source, being one of the few antelopes with considerable amounts of fat present, and a taste similar to lean beef. This is especially prevalent in rural areas, where they are often poached for this reason. Their value to the ecotourism industry is somewhat limited. In areas where they gather in large densities, they can be a attraction to visitors, but they're usually outshone by more numerous species, or iconic giants like elephants and rhinos.

The Common Eland, particularly the Cape subspecies, is much sought after by hunters, both for the magnificent horns, massive body size of bulls and more generally for their high-quality meat. Particularly in South Africa, eland populations on private land are largely supported by the hunting industry, that provides habitat protection for this species, across free range and low fence settings. This is especially importance, since it takes up to 10 years for eland bulls to fully mature and reach their peak trophy potential, much longer than other species sharing their habitat.

Cultural Value: Common Eland have been pursued as prey by hunter gatherer tribes thousands of years, being a staple food source for communities in many areas. This species was particularly important to the hunter-gatherer tribes of the Drakensburg mountains, where they were once incredibly abundant. There are numerous cave paintings of eland in these mountains, showing that the annual migrations where of great cultural and nutritional significance.

The meat, like most spiral horned antelopes, is incredibly delicious, and greatly valued by locals. It is particularly valued for it's high fat content and tenderness, being very similar to commercially produced beef. Domestication has been attempted both in South Africa, and in Ukraine, both for it's high quality meat, and it's extremely fatty milk.

Greater Kudu Harvest Data

Region	Males Harvested	Females Harvested	Harvest Change	% of Population	Total Springbok Harvested 2024
Namibia (Incomplete)
Limpopo
Mpamalanga
KwaZulu Natal
North-West
Free State
Eastern Cape
Northern Cape
Western Cape
All of South Africa

*Much of the data on Common Eland harvest numbers across their range is largely incomplete, and hence it has not been evaluated by us. It is our goal to expand our data set as much as possible, so every data contribution is highly valuable to us.

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