The Mountain Nyala
Created | Updated Oct 11, 2012
<HTML>
<BODY>
<BODY BGCOLOR="f0e8ff">
<img src="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000052.jpg" align=left vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="A Mountain Nyala Bull">
<H1>
THE MOUNTAIN NYALA
</H1>
<H2>
1. Name, Classification and Relationships.
</H2>
<P>
The picture on the left depicts a close-up view of the head of a bull Mountain Nyala, <i>Tragelaphus buxtonii</i>.
This is one of Africa's rarest antelopes. It is related to the <a href="http://www.h2g2.com/A507647">Nyala</a>
but seems to be more closely akin to the Greater and Lesser Kudus. In a way it is intermediate between these three animals.
Its scientific genus name, <i>Tragelaphus</i>,
means 'Goat Deer' - in this case referring to neither a goat nor a deer, but an antelope! There are between five and eight other spiral-horned antelope
species in this genus, depending on whether the two Elands and the Bongo are
included or not. Its scientific species name commemorates Mr. Ivor Buxton, the person who was the first to obtain a Mountain Nyala specimen for zoologic
study.
</P>
<P>
This magnificent antelope is one of the most recent large mammals to be discovered by Western science. Though well-known to locals, it was only in 1908 that
its existence was officially accepted by Europeans. Buxton got his specimen in 1909, and the species was formally described by Richard Lydekker in 1910. This late
discovery, as well as others that followed it, give an indication of how little we still know about the natural world.
</P>
<H2>
2. Description
</h2>
<P>
Mountain Nyalas are quite large, with a strong and sturdy build. Bulls can reach a bodyweight of 660 lbs, while cows range from 330 to 440 lbs. The total body length is from
six and a half to
nine and a half feet, and a big bull stands four and a half feet at the whithers. This size is comparable to that of the
Greater Kudu, whereas the Nyala is much smaller. In sexual dimporphism (the difference between males and females) it is in between the Kudus and the Nyala.
The bulls alone carry horns and are between one and a half and two times the size of the cows. Their necks are thick and shaggy-haired, while the neck of
the cow is long, slender and sleek. Apart from that the sexes do not differ very much from each other in colour or body
markings.
</P>
<P>
Like the Nyala ram, the Mountain Nyala bull has an erectable mane or crest along the rear of its neck and the midline of its back.
The hairs of this crest are black tipped with white. The
crest of the cow is similar but not as large. Unlike the Nyala and the Greater Kudu,
the Mountain Nyala bull does not have a beard or fringe of long hairs on its throat or
undersides. Neither does it have a dewlap. In this respect it most resembles the Lesser Kudu. The coat of the Mountain Nyala varies from short and
lustrous in the summer to long and shaggy in the winter.
</P>
<P>
The body markings of Mountain Nyalas are less distinct than those of most other spiral-horned antelopes. Both sexes have only about four faint,
discontinuous white stripes and a few white spots along their sides. They have two more prominent white patches, one beneath the throat and the other
where the neck joins the upper chest. Other white markings include the the borders of their ears, the
lips and chin, two spots on each cheek, and a chevron between the eyes. The rest of the body is coloured uniformly greyish-brown, in the bull, becoming
darker and richer as it matures, and a dull
tawny brown in the cow. The tail is short and bushy, dark above and white below.
</P>
<P>
The Mountain Nyala bull's horns are angular in cross section and also marked by uneven transverse ridges. Like those of its relatives,
they are mostly dark in color
but with ivory tips. From where they leave the forehead, they first sweep widely outwards, then backwards, then inwards, then forwards and outwards again.
In making these curves they twist through
a full 540 degrees, or to put it differently, one and a half turns. Measured along the curve these horns can reach a length of four feet.
</P>
<P>
<IMG SRC="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000053.jpg" align=right vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="A Mountain Nyala Bull - Side View">
Like most antelopes Mountain Nyalas have very sharp senses. Their noses are large, black and moist, as are their eyes, and they have huge ears that
constantly switch forwards and back, alert to the slightest suspicious sound. Their reflexes are sharp, their movements deliberate but with the appearance
of being spring-loaded with tension and nervous energy ready to be released at a moments notice.
</P>
<P>
The picture on the right shows a Mountain Nyala bull during its ritual display pose, with its back crest erected and the tail puffed out.
</P>
<H2>
3. Behavior
</H2>
<P>
These antelopes usually group themselves into small herds of up to 15 individuals. These herds may be formed by cows and calves, or young bulls
('bachelors'). The bachelor herds are usually short lived, with members leaving when they become more mature. Older bulls tend to roam around solitarily.
They do not keep and defend territories, but establish a dominance hierarchy among themselves. Just like Nyalas, they go into poses meant to exaggerate
their appearance of size and strength. When two bulls meet, they will raise the crests on their backs, fluff out their tails, puff out their necks,
and slowly circle each other, strutting with deliberate, emphatic high-steps, presenting their imposing profiles to each other. They will paw the ground,
shake their heads and make feinting moves at each other. They then usually depart, not needing to press matters further. But when circumstances are extreme,
for instance when there is a real shortage of food or living space, or if there is a female on heat in their presence, they may go on to an actual physical
clash, fencing with their horns until one or the other is vanquished.
</P>
<P>
Cows with their offspring form the most stable social units. They band together to form herds, and herds sometimes gather into large temporary groups of
up to a hundred animals. Bulls join these herds from time to time. The largest herds form when food is abundant, while in drier seasons the groups break
up as the animals drift off, having to roam over wider areas to find food. During the wet season animals stick to home ranges of about two square miles for
cows and four square miles for bulls. In prime Mountain Nyala habitat there can be as many as eight individuals per square mile.
</P>
<P>
<img src="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000054.jpg" align=left vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="Distribution Map for the Mountain Nyala">
Human actvity has probably had a great influence on the behaviour of these antelopes. They are alert, wary and elusive. They stay close to cover, and in the
dry season they tend to retreat into dense thicket vegetation. They are active mostly at night. If any individual senses danger, it gives an alarm call
that will cause all the others within hearing range to flee. This alarm call has a visual element: it sends out a dense spray of droplets from the nose.
It has
the sound and appearance of a sneeze or a cough. A person observing Mountain Nyalas for the first time will probably come to the conclusion that these
animals suffer from permanent colds and flu! Which is not the case, by the way: the ejected matter is ordinary, clear, healthy mucus.
</P>
<P>
<H2>
4. Distribution and Habitat
</H2>
<P>
The map on the left shows the distribution of the Mountain Nyala. It is confined to the highlands of Ethiopia. This range as well as fossil evidence
suggests that the modern Mountain Nyala is a relict of a species that used to occur much more widely 2 to 3 million years ago. The Ice Ages, starting
about a million years ago, disrupted this situation. Alternate dry and cold, warm and wet periods caused habitats to change rapidly over most of Africa,
which led to widespread movements of animals and
more intense conflict and competition between different species. Over the rest of the continent proto-Mountain Nyalas were displaced
by Kudus, Bongos and Elands, but in Ethiopia they found a refuge in the mountains. During periods of glaciation they retreated to lower, warmer slopes and
sheltered valleys, while during warmer interglacial periods
they were able to use even the high plateaux and peaks. Other large antelope were unable to enter and
displace them due to the ruggedness and isolation of the area: these highlands border the Sahara and
Somali deserts to the North, East and South, and the Sudd swamps of the upper Nile to the West.
</P>
<P>
Within Ethiopia Mountain Nyalas occur from the Harerghe mountains to the Bale massif, and are mainly concentrated in the Gaysay valley.
This restricted range means that they are very vulnerable
to disturbances: hunting, habitat destruction, outbreaks of diseases, or competition with livestock. They utilise most
habitats: forests, woodlands, heathland and moorland. They avoid areas where the vegetation cover is very low or very sparse. They are currently
most common in rugged, inaccessible areas at altitudes from 10 000 to 14 000 feet above sea level.
However, there is a small, isolated population at Wondo Genet at an
altitude of 6 000 feet, and this indicates that even recently it had a much wider distribution in Ethiopia.
</P>
<P>
Another indication of a wider distribution in the recent past is the fact that Mountain Nyalas don't have many specialised adaptations to their
high-altitude habitat. When allowed the opportunity they make use of lower areas. While their shaggy winter coats offer some insulation against the cold,
they avoid frost and snow by sheltering in heather thickets or beneath the dense lower branches of juniper trees. Because of its bulk it retains heat
easily and doesn't chill rapidly.
</P>
<P>
An opposite extreme of the mountain
climate is great heat and glaring sunshine during summer days. The Mountain Nyala copes during the summer
by feeding early in the morning and returning to the shade before
midday. Their regular shelters are depressions in the woodland leaf litter that have been hollowed out by regular use.
</P>
<P>
Thus the Mountain Nyala's
size, mobility and adaptable behaviour enables it to survive comfortably in a harsh environment.
</P>
<h2>
<img src="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000055.jpg" align=right vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="A Close-up view of a Mountain Nyala Cow">
5. Diet
</h2>
<P>
Mountain Nyalas browse as well as graze, feeding on leaves, shoots and buds of woody plants, as well as soft herbs and grasses. Their favourite
foods are the aromatic herbs and shrubs of the high mountain pastures, such as the Catmint, <i>Nepeta biloba</i>, feathery sage brushes, <i>Artemisia
afra</I> Lady's Mantle, <i>Alchemilla</i>, and a species of <i>Geranium</i>.
</P>
<h2>
6. Reproduction
</h2>
<P>
The picture on the right shows a close-up view of the head and neck of a Mountain Nyala cow.
</P>
<P>
We don't know much about the reproduction of this rare species. It is difficult to find any information about its mating rituals. What we do know is
that the mating season peaks during December. Gestation lasts for eight to nine months, with the result that calves are born during August to September,
after the summer rains, when vegetation is most lush. Only a single calf is born. Its mother will hide it in dense vegetation, leaving it by itself as
she goes off to feed, and returning to suckle it at regular intervals. The calf hides for several weeks, and then starts to accompany its mother. It
keeps on suckling for a period of six months, at which point it is weaned and can survive on the native vegetation on its own. Even so, it
will stay with its mother for up to two years more before roaming off to join a bachelor herd or another cow/offspring herd.
</P>
<P>
Mountain Nyalas mature rapidly: the cows at eighteen months, and the bulls at two years. It is not known how long they live, but a reasonable estimate
is a lifespan of twenty years.
</P>
<h2>
7. Enemies, Threats and Conservation
</h2>
<P>
The only natural enemies of the Mountain Nyala, apart from humans, are leopards. They do not constitute a significant threat, though. Humans on the other
hand have in the past decimated populations by intensive hunting. Livestock also compete with Mountain Nyalas for browse and grazing. Thankfully
protective measures have been instituted: it is forbidden to hunt these antelopes, sheep and other livestock farming is prohibited over much of their
range, and the Bale National Park has been declared and provides protection for about 1 400 Mountain Nyalas.
</P>
Still, this antelope is far from safe. Though it is difficult to count them due to the forbiddingness of their environment, experts estimate that there
may be only 2 000 to 3 000 of them left in total. This small world population makes them very vulnerable to many kinds of threats. They are classified as
Endangered by the IUCN, which means that there is a significant risk that they could become extinct within the foreseeable future.
</P>
<P>
<h2>
8. Links
</h2>
<P>
Check out this web-page:
<BR/>
<a href="http://www.ultimateungulate.com/mountnyala.html">Brent Huffman's Ultimate Ungulate Page</a>
This site is wonderful for pictures and information about all kinds of hoofed mammals. It also has a few links to other sites featuring the
Mountain Nyala, although there isn't a lot of additional info or pictures available.
</P>
</BODY>
</HTML>
<BODY>
<BODY BGCOLOR="f0e8ff">
<img src="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000052.jpg" align=left vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="A Mountain Nyala Bull">
<H1>
THE MOUNTAIN NYALA
</H1>
<H2>
1. Name, Classification and Relationships.
</H2>
<P>
The picture on the left depicts a close-up view of the head of a bull Mountain Nyala, <i>Tragelaphus buxtonii</i>.
This is one of Africa's rarest antelopes. It is related to the <a href="http://www.h2g2.com/A507647">Nyala</a>
but seems to be more closely akin to the Greater and Lesser Kudus. In a way it is intermediate between these three animals.
Its scientific genus name, <i>Tragelaphus</i>,
means 'Goat Deer' - in this case referring to neither a goat nor a deer, but an antelope! There are between five and eight other spiral-horned antelope
species in this genus, depending on whether the two Elands and the Bongo are
included or not. Its scientific species name commemorates Mr. Ivor Buxton, the person who was the first to obtain a Mountain Nyala specimen for zoologic
study.
</P>
<P>
This magnificent antelope is one of the most recent large mammals to be discovered by Western science. Though well-known to locals, it was only in 1908 that
its existence was officially accepted by Europeans. Buxton got his specimen in 1909, and the species was formally described by Richard Lydekker in 1910. This late
discovery, as well as others that followed it, give an indication of how little we still know about the natural world.
</P>
<H2>
2. Description
</h2>
<P>
Mountain Nyalas are quite large, with a strong and sturdy build. Bulls can reach a bodyweight of 660 lbs, while cows range from 330 to 440 lbs. The total body length is from
six and a half to
nine and a half feet, and a big bull stands four and a half feet at the whithers. This size is comparable to that of the
Greater Kudu, whereas the Nyala is much smaller. In sexual dimporphism (the difference between males and females) it is in between the Kudus and the Nyala.
The bulls alone carry horns and are between one and a half and two times the size of the cows. Their necks are thick and shaggy-haired, while the neck of
the cow is long, slender and sleek. Apart from that the sexes do not differ very much from each other in colour or body
markings.
</P>
<P>
Like the Nyala ram, the Mountain Nyala bull has an erectable mane or crest along the rear of its neck and the midline of its back.
The hairs of this crest are black tipped with white. The
crest of the cow is similar but not as large. Unlike the Nyala and the Greater Kudu,
the Mountain Nyala bull does not have a beard or fringe of long hairs on its throat or
undersides. Neither does it have a dewlap. In this respect it most resembles the Lesser Kudu. The coat of the Mountain Nyala varies from short and
lustrous in the summer to long and shaggy in the winter.
</P>
<P>
The body markings of Mountain Nyalas are less distinct than those of most other spiral-horned antelopes. Both sexes have only about four faint,
discontinuous white stripes and a few white spots along their sides. They have two more prominent white patches, one beneath the throat and the other
where the neck joins the upper chest. Other white markings include the the borders of their ears, the
lips and chin, two spots on each cheek, and a chevron between the eyes. The rest of the body is coloured uniformly greyish-brown, in the bull, becoming
darker and richer as it matures, and a dull
tawny brown in the cow. The tail is short and bushy, dark above and white below.
</P>
<P>
The Mountain Nyala bull's horns are angular in cross section and also marked by uneven transverse ridges. Like those of its relatives,
they are mostly dark in color
but with ivory tips. From where they leave the forehead, they first sweep widely outwards, then backwards, then inwards, then forwards and outwards again.
In making these curves they twist through
a full 540 degrees, or to put it differently, one and a half turns. Measured along the curve these horns can reach a length of four feet.
</P>
<P>
<IMG SRC="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000053.jpg" align=right vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="A Mountain Nyala Bull - Side View">
Like most antelopes Mountain Nyalas have very sharp senses. Their noses are large, black and moist, as are their eyes, and they have huge ears that
constantly switch forwards and back, alert to the slightest suspicious sound. Their reflexes are sharp, their movements deliberate but with the appearance
of being spring-loaded with tension and nervous energy ready to be released at a moments notice.
</P>
<P>
The picture on the right shows a Mountain Nyala bull during its ritual display pose, with its back crest erected and the tail puffed out.
</P>
<H2>
3. Behavior
</H2>
<P>
These antelopes usually group themselves into small herds of up to 15 individuals. These herds may be formed by cows and calves, or young bulls
('bachelors'). The bachelor herds are usually short lived, with members leaving when they become more mature. Older bulls tend to roam around solitarily.
They do not keep and defend territories, but establish a dominance hierarchy among themselves. Just like Nyalas, they go into poses meant to exaggerate
their appearance of size and strength. When two bulls meet, they will raise the crests on their backs, fluff out their tails, puff out their necks,
and slowly circle each other, strutting with deliberate, emphatic high-steps, presenting their imposing profiles to each other. They will paw the ground,
shake their heads and make feinting moves at each other. They then usually depart, not needing to press matters further. But when circumstances are extreme,
for instance when there is a real shortage of food or living space, or if there is a female on heat in their presence, they may go on to an actual physical
clash, fencing with their horns until one or the other is vanquished.
</P>
<P>
Cows with their offspring form the most stable social units. They band together to form herds, and herds sometimes gather into large temporary groups of
up to a hundred animals. Bulls join these herds from time to time. The largest herds form when food is abundant, while in drier seasons the groups break
up as the animals drift off, having to roam over wider areas to find food. During the wet season animals stick to home ranges of about two square miles for
cows and four square miles for bulls. In prime Mountain Nyala habitat there can be as many as eight individuals per square mile.
</P>
<P>
<img src="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000054.jpg" align=left vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="Distribution Map for the Mountain Nyala">
Human actvity has probably had a great influence on the behaviour of these antelopes. They are alert, wary and elusive. They stay close to cover, and in the
dry season they tend to retreat into dense thicket vegetation. They are active mostly at night. If any individual senses danger, it gives an alarm call
that will cause all the others within hearing range to flee. This alarm call has a visual element: it sends out a dense spray of droplets from the nose.
It has
the sound and appearance of a sneeze or a cough. A person observing Mountain Nyalas for the first time will probably come to the conclusion that these
animals suffer from permanent colds and flu! Which is not the case, by the way: the ejected matter is ordinary, clear, healthy mucus.
</P>
<P>
<H2>
4. Distribution and Habitat
</H2>
<P>
The map on the left shows the distribution of the Mountain Nyala. It is confined to the highlands of Ethiopia. This range as well as fossil evidence
suggests that the modern Mountain Nyala is a relict of a species that used to occur much more widely 2 to 3 million years ago. The Ice Ages, starting
about a million years ago, disrupted this situation. Alternate dry and cold, warm and wet periods caused habitats to change rapidly over most of Africa,
which led to widespread movements of animals and
more intense conflict and competition between different species. Over the rest of the continent proto-Mountain Nyalas were displaced
by Kudus, Bongos and Elands, but in Ethiopia they found a refuge in the mountains. During periods of glaciation they retreated to lower, warmer slopes and
sheltered valleys, while during warmer interglacial periods
they were able to use even the high plateaux and peaks. Other large antelope were unable to enter and
displace them due to the ruggedness and isolation of the area: these highlands border the Sahara and
Somali deserts to the North, East and South, and the Sudd swamps of the upper Nile to the West.
</P>
<P>
Within Ethiopia Mountain Nyalas occur from the Harerghe mountains to the Bale massif, and are mainly concentrated in the Gaysay valley.
This restricted range means that they are very vulnerable
to disturbances: hunting, habitat destruction, outbreaks of diseases, or competition with livestock. They utilise most
habitats: forests, woodlands, heathland and moorland. They avoid areas where the vegetation cover is very low or very sparse. They are currently
most common in rugged, inaccessible areas at altitudes from 10 000 to 14 000 feet above sea level.
However, there is a small, isolated population at Wondo Genet at an
altitude of 6 000 feet, and this indicates that even recently it had a much wider distribution in Ethiopia.
</P>
<P>
Another indication of a wider distribution in the recent past is the fact that Mountain Nyalas don't have many specialised adaptations to their
high-altitude habitat. When allowed the opportunity they make use of lower areas. While their shaggy winter coats offer some insulation against the cold,
they avoid frost and snow by sheltering in heather thickets or beneath the dense lower branches of juniper trees. Because of its bulk it retains heat
easily and doesn't chill rapidly.
</P>
<P>
An opposite extreme of the mountain
climate is great heat and glaring sunshine during summer days. The Mountain Nyala copes during the summer
by feeding early in the morning and returning to the shade before
midday. Their regular shelters are depressions in the woodland leaf litter that have been hollowed out by regular use.
</P>
<P>
Thus the Mountain Nyala's
size, mobility and adaptable behaviour enables it to survive comfortably in a harsh environment.
</P>
<h2>
<img src="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000055.jpg" align=right vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="A Close-up view of a Mountain Nyala Cow">
5. Diet
</h2>
<P>
Mountain Nyalas browse as well as graze, feeding on leaves, shoots and buds of woody plants, as well as soft herbs and grasses. Their favourite
foods are the aromatic herbs and shrubs of the high mountain pastures, such as the Catmint, <i>Nepeta biloba</i>, feathery sage brushes, <i>Artemisia
afra</I> Lady's Mantle, <i>Alchemilla</i>, and a species of <i>Geranium</i>.
</P>
<h2>
6. Reproduction
</h2>
<P>
The picture on the right shows a close-up view of the head and neck of a Mountain Nyala cow.
</P>
<P>
We don't know much about the reproduction of this rare species. It is difficult to find any information about its mating rituals. What we do know is
that the mating season peaks during December. Gestation lasts for eight to nine months, with the result that calves are born during August to September,
after the summer rains, when vegetation is most lush. Only a single calf is born. Its mother will hide it in dense vegetation, leaving it by itself as
she goes off to feed, and returning to suckle it at regular intervals. The calf hides for several weeks, and then starts to accompany its mother. It
keeps on suckling for a period of six months, at which point it is weaned and can survive on the native vegetation on its own. Even so, it
will stay with its mother for up to two years more before roaming off to join a bachelor herd or another cow/offspring herd.
</P>
<P>
Mountain Nyalas mature rapidly: the cows at eighteen months, and the bulls at two years. It is not known how long they live, but a reasonable estimate
is a lifespan of twenty years.
</P>
<h2>
7. Enemies, Threats and Conservation
</h2>
<P>
The only natural enemies of the Mountain Nyala, apart from humans, are leopards. They do not constitute a significant threat, though. Humans on the other
hand have in the past decimated populations by intensive hunting. Livestock also compete with Mountain Nyalas for browse and grazing. Thankfully
protective measures have been instituted: it is forbidden to hunt these antelopes, sheep and other livestock farming is prohibited over much of their
range, and the Bale National Park has been declared and provides protection for about 1 400 Mountain Nyalas.
</P>
Still, this antelope is far from safe. Though it is difficult to count them due to the forbiddingness of their environment, experts estimate that there
may be only 2 000 to 3 000 of them left in total. This small world population makes them very vulnerable to many kinds of threats. They are classified as
Endangered by the IUCN, which means that there is a significant risk that they could become extinct within the foreseeable future.
</P>
<P>
<h2>
8. Links
</h2>
<P>
Check out this web-page:
<BR/>
<a href="http://www.ultimateungulate.com/mountnyala.html">Brent Huffman's Ultimate Ungulate Page</a>
This site is wonderful for pictures and information about all kinds of hoofed mammals. It also has a few links to other sites featuring the
Mountain Nyala, although there isn't a lot of additional info or pictures available.
</P>
</BODY>
</HTML>
