Tsessebe Picture and Info
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
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<img src="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000009.jpg" align=left vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="Tsessebe">
This is a Tsessebe, photographed in the Pietersburg Nature Reserve. The Tsessebe is a race of the species <i>Damaliscus lunatus</i>, which has four races: the Tsessebe, <i>D. lunatus lunatus</i>, the Topi, <i>D. lunatus jimela</i>, the Tiang, <i>D. lunatus tiang</i> and the Korrigum <i>D. lunatus korrigum</i>. They belong to the <i>Alcelaphinae</i>, the subfamily of long-faced antelopes. The members of this subfamly all have lenthened faces, and a few other features such as that the males and females both carry horns, the eyes are placed right at the sides of the head, the tail bears a tuft of long hairs sometimes similar to that of a horse, and there is powerful, muscular "hump" above the shoulders that often makes the back appear to be sloping down towards the rear. The <i>Alcelaphinae</i> also includes the Wildebeests (2 species), the Hartebeests (2 species and many races), the Hirola <i>Damaliscus hunteri</i>, the Blesbok <i>Damaliscus dorcas dorcas</i> and the Bontebok <i>Damaliscus dorcas phillipsi</i>. I intend to put in entries about these species as well, time and everything else permitting.
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Tsessebe can be recognised by their rather short, lyre-shaped horns, and by the black blazes on the front of their faces. The body colour is brown, richer and darker in the bulls, with the upper parts of the fore- and hindlegs black. The coat often has a lustrous appearance, reflecting shades of blue and purple depending on the angle of the sunlight hitting it. Tsessebe can be distinguished from its three cousins by its distribution: it is limited to Central and Southern Africa, while the Topi lives in East Africa, the Tiang mainly in the Sudan and Chad, the Korrigum in a small part of West Africa.
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Tsessebe bulls weigh about 300 lbs and the cows 275 lbs. They usually occur in herds of up to 30 animals. Sometimes single animals are seen. Something interesting about the Tsessebe (and the long-faced antelopes in general) is that the calves look nothing like the adults. Instead of the dark, short and shiny coat, it has a light cream-coloured, soft and rather woolly coat.
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Tsessebe are not endangered, but they are not very common either. There ought to be more of them!
</p>
</html>
<p>
<img src="http://www.fotango.com/p/eba00019870f00000009.jpg" align=left vspace=20 hspace=20 alt="Tsessebe">
This is a Tsessebe, photographed in the Pietersburg Nature Reserve. The Tsessebe is a race of the species <i>Damaliscus lunatus</i>, which has four races: the Tsessebe, <i>D. lunatus lunatus</i>, the Topi, <i>D. lunatus jimela</i>, the Tiang, <i>D. lunatus tiang</i> and the Korrigum <i>D. lunatus korrigum</i>. They belong to the <i>Alcelaphinae</i>, the subfamily of long-faced antelopes. The members of this subfamly all have lenthened faces, and a few other features such as that the males and females both carry horns, the eyes are placed right at the sides of the head, the tail bears a tuft of long hairs sometimes similar to that of a horse, and there is powerful, muscular "hump" above the shoulders that often makes the back appear to be sloping down towards the rear. The <i>Alcelaphinae</i> also includes the Wildebeests (2 species), the Hartebeests (2 species and many races), the Hirola <i>Damaliscus hunteri</i>, the Blesbok <i>Damaliscus dorcas dorcas</i> and the Bontebok <i>Damaliscus dorcas phillipsi</i>. I intend to put in entries about these species as well, time and everything else permitting.
</p>
<p>
Tsessebe can be recognised by their rather short, lyre-shaped horns, and by the black blazes on the front of their faces. The body colour is brown, richer and darker in the bulls, with the upper parts of the fore- and hindlegs black. The coat often has a lustrous appearance, reflecting shades of blue and purple depending on the angle of the sunlight hitting it. Tsessebe can be distinguished from its three cousins by its distribution: it is limited to Central and Southern Africa, while the Topi lives in East Africa, the Tiang mainly in the Sudan and Chad, the Korrigum in a small part of West Africa.
</p>
<p>
Tsessebe bulls weigh about 300 lbs and the cows 275 lbs. They usually occur in herds of up to 30 animals. Sometimes single animals are seen. Something interesting about the Tsessebe (and the long-faced antelopes in general) is that the calves look nothing like the adults. Instead of the dark, short and shiny coat, it has a light cream-coloured, soft and rather woolly coat.
</p>
<p>
Tsessebe are not endangered, but they are not very common either. There ought to be more of them!
</p>
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