Tag: mammal

Nyala

The Nyala is another spiral horned antelope species which is found in Southern Africa.

nyala – Genus Nyala

Mostly active in the early morning and early evening, they are preyed on by Lions, Leopard and African wild dog. Baboons and raptors will also prey on young members. The main threat to their future survival is a mixture of poaching and habitat loss due to human settlements.

A 1999 estimate suggested that 32,000 of them survived, however current estimates suggest that South Africa has 30,000 in the country, with 25,000 Kwazulu-natal. Mozambique has no more than 3000, while Zimbabwe has around 1000 and Malawis population has halved from 3000 to 1500 and Namibia has just 250.

Today 80% of the population is in protected areas, though they are also popular hunting trophies.

Mountain Nyala

Mountain nyala

It is a large antelope species, only found in a small part of mountainous Ethiopia. It is shy towards humans, and is usually seen in small herds of 4-5. Tending to live between heights of 3000m to 4000m. Human populations are forcing them higher, with current populations generally found above 3400m.

Around half of the current population is found in Bale mountains national park, is a small specific area. It is mostly a browser, though may on occasions change to browsing of the mountain nyala include illegal hunting, habitat destruction, predation of calves by dogs, encroachment for both cultivation and grazing of livestock as well as construction of various things at high altitudes (like villages). in the 1960s as much as 12,500 remained, but by the 1980s this had fallen to just 2000-4000, and it is still falling today. The current estimate is around 2500.

The animal is hunted for its horns and meat – not sustainably. The meat is utilised in local medicine and for making nipples for traditional milk bottles. Despite trophy hunting, in theory being a sustainable use, little attention is given to the current numbers of wild members when setting quotas. As such, far from being sustainable, hunting is pushing them closer to extinction. If well regulated, trophy hunting could play an important role in the long term management of this species, but things need to change first.

They are featured on one of the Ethiopian coins, and live 15-20 years. It was not first described until 1920.

Their main predator is Leopard.

Lesser Kudu

Found in east Africa, the lesser kudu is a mid-sized antelope. It is from the same family as the greater kudu, so it is closely related, though there are definitely other antelope that are more closely related.

lesser kudu

This species survives exclusively as a browser, usually eating relatively high branches which are out of reach for many of the littler antelope species.

The wild population is thought to be 118,000 individuals, though the population is reducing. It should be noted that 60% of the population lives outside protected areas – this means that while it is currently doing fine, and these wild roaming individuals are able to allow gene flow between reserves, it also means that 60% of these animals are outside fortress reserves (how well these reserves are protected is not always something that could be described as a fortress, like the reserves in places like South Africa) which means that should local attitudes change, this 60% could be hunted relatively easily.

here is a video of a lesser Kudu browsing in the Tsavo west national park.

The current status of the lesser kudu is considered near theratened – not least concern, so while they are not currently in danger, it is a species that needs to be watched.

Greater Kudu

Greater kudu

The greater kudu is a large antelope species which is found in southern and eastern Africa. While they are found across a large area, due to deforestation, poaching and humans taking their habitat for other uses, it is increasingly fragmented, and live in sparsely population groups throughout its range. Oddly, its closest relations are the Elands, and is there are a few species which are more closely related to the greater Kudu than the lesser Kudu.

This clearly makes it more susceptible to local extinction, as it would not take much increased hunting.

The horn is quite notable, and as such it is hard to mistake males for any other antelope. The horns grow at a rate of roughly 3 years per spiral, and is fully grown when it is 2 and a half spirals long, (so a male is fully grown at 7.5 years)

Below is a list of the currently recognized subspecies.

  • T. s. strepsiceros – southern parts of the range from southern Kenya to Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa
  • T. s. chora – northeastern Africa from northern Kenya through Ethiopia to eastern Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea
  • T. s. cottoni – Chad and western Sudan

They are thought to have a wild population of around 118,000 individuals, which means that they are pretty safe as a whole.

Giant Eland – Eastern and Western

The giant eland is a species from Africa. It is broken into a western and eastern subspecies.

It is important to note, that the “giant” in its name refers to its longer horns, not to the animals size -the eland is already the largest antelope in Africa.

The Giant eland is the largest antelope

It is generally found in open forests, and savannah ecosystems. They eat grass, as well as browsing branches and leaves. They will often form herds of 15-25 members.

It is said to be found across a wide range of countries, including Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and South Sudan, as well as Guinea-Bissau and Uganda. It is also found in the Jos wildlife park in Nigeria. Having said this, it is thought that there are only 170 western giant Eland that remain and these are found in Niokolo-Koba National Park which is in Senegal. The eastern giant Eland is in a better position with around 15,000 Eastern giant Eland left in the wild. 12,500 of these Eastern giant eland live in the Central African Republic. In South Sudan, the Southern national park is thought to have around 165 of these animals still surviving.

The eastern giant eland is conserved in the Faro National Park, Bénoué National Park, Bouba Njida National Park, Bamingui-Bangoran National Park and Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park. 

It is locally extinct in Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo

The eastern giant Eland is considered least concern (though the population is declining)

The western giant Eland is considered critically endangered with only 200 remaining in the wild. These are all found within Niokolo-Koba national park, which is an important reserve, but not well protected. This reserve also hosts small numbers of western lions.

It would seem a sensible thing to translocate eastern giant Eland into western Africa, but it is quite possible that nothing like this will happen as there are still western giant Eland in the wild. 200 is a good basis for recovery of the species – as much as 100 calves could be born each year. Should all non-natural pressures end, it is quite possible that withing a decade, the species number could be back above 1000 wild members.

Bongo Antelope and mountain Bongo

 

A Bongo antelope

This antelope is split into two subspecies:

  • The Eastern or mountain Bongo- this is restricted to some mountain regions in central Kenya. It is classed as critically endangered in the wild – there are more in captivity than in the wild. It should be noted, that they breed readily in captivity, so while they may disappear from the wild, we will be able to return them to the wild at some point in the future. In 2013 it was estimated that there was only 100 of the animal left in the wild, and this has been caused by poaching and logging. As these things have not stopped, it may well push them to extinction.
  • The Western or lowland Bongo – this is considered near threatened
There have been two other subspecies suggested from western and central Africa, but taxonomic clarification has not been reached.
 
Generally, males live alone, while females live in small herds with their young of up to 8.
They are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular (active in the early and late day). Generally timid and easily startled, they usually stay in think forest, which may be why few Europeans had seen one before 1960. They are found in kenya, along with these west African countries: Cameroon, Central African republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.
They prefer to live in areas of forest that are patchy, and as a result, do well where forest elephants live as well. In theory, they would also do well in areas which have been selectively logged, but this does not seem to happen at all.
As browsers, they eat a wide variety of leaves shrubs fruits barks and various other things that they can find.
 
Historically, weird superstitions protected the Bongo, as local people believed that eating their meat would cause something like epileptic seizures, unfortunately this superstition is being left behind, which may put further pressure on the species.

Bongo drums are a well known instrument in Africa. Indeed, I have one that my father brought back from a trip many years ago. Contrary to popular opinion, these are not made from Bongo skin, and despite much research there is little evidence that they ever were. They are generally made from cow or goat hide. While they may have been made from Bongo skin a great deal in the past, there is little evidence of population crash that might come with using the skin for a popular instrumept

Conservation status: looking at the land, and making sensible estimates on density, we get an estimate of around 28,000 individuals, however as only around 60% of this is protected, the number is expected to be lower, and is estimated to potentially be in the low 10s of thousands.

Common Eland

Common Eland

Also referred to as the Southern Eland, or Eland antelope, it is the largest antelope to be found in the savannahs of Africa. Adult males can weigh almost 1000kg, with females weighing 500-600kg. It was originally described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. They can form herds of up to 500. Adult males stand around 1.6m at the shoulder.

Places to look for it: there are a large number of reserves with these animals, however, in many places there are not many of them. Chinko national park in the Central Africa Republic has 1500 of the Eland. I have only seen them in the Kruger – there are only 300 that live in this large reserve, but with luck encounters can be had.

Conservation status: it is currently listed as least concern, but its population is decreasing.

Bushbuck

Bushbuck photo by Bernard Dupont

Also called the Harnessed antelope, the bushbuck is found in subsaharan brush and forests.

Active at night and usually solitary, it is not an easy animal to see. Having said that, our encounters with one in the Kruger national park, have almost always occurred in rest-camps where they will often take up residence, as it is the safest place when it comes to leopards and lions.

It can be anything from redish brown, to black. There are 1.3 million of these in Africa, with them found in 40 countries. The population is coming under threat, as their habitat is turning into housing and agriculture. It is hunted for both its meat and its hide, so that while it is often capable of living in close proximity of humans, elsewhere it will struggle to hang on.

Conservation status is least concern: there is a population of around 1.3 million in africa

Musk deer

Alpine musk deer
Anhui musk deer
Chinese forest musk deer (dwarf musk deer)
Dusky musk deer
Kashmir musk deer
siberian musk deer
White-bellied musk deer

There are 7 musk deer species. As with other pages like this, should the amount of content information on a specific species of musk deer grow, or there become opportunities to see one of these species in the wild, it will get its own page (though it should be noted that it will still be linked from this page.

The first thing to note, is that musk deer are actually not deer. Rather than being members of the Cervidae family, they are closely related to the Bovidae family. There are a few things that they miss, that all deer have – no antlers, no preorbital glands, but they do only have a single pair of teats and a gallbladder, and caudal gland. They also have a pair of canine tusks (which is one of the most notable things about them) and lastly, a musk gland, which lead to them being hunted by humans, as the financial rewards are quite high.

Alpine Musk deer

Found in the Eastern himilayas, It is the state animal of Uttarakhand. There are 2 recognized subspecies. It is found at heights of 3000m-5000m.

Poaching for its musk does threaten its ongoing survival. By the 1980s the population was estimated at just 3000. It is unclear what has happened since. 

Anhul Musk deer 

They do not thrive in captivity. It has been previously considered a subspecies of two other musk deer. It is found in Debie mountains in Western China

It is considered endangered.

Chinese forest Musk (dwarf) deer 

Found in Southern and central China, there are 4 recognized subspecies.

  • Moschus berezovskii berezovskii Flerov, 1929
  • Moschus berezovskii bijiangensis Wang & Li, 1993
  • Moschus berezovskii caobangis Dao, 1969
  • Moschus berezovskii yanguiensis Wang & Ma, 1993

It is as a species considered endangered, this makes it quite likely that some of its subspecies are very close to extinction.

Dusky Musk deer 

Also known as the black musk deer, it is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal, it is nocturnal and highly solitary (females will on occasion allow other females to babysit). Males fight aggressively for territory. Like many similar species, they are incredible mountaineers, in their home in the mountains, and can often be seen standing on cliffs that do not look like they could stay balenced. They are also capable of climbing trees. They are predated by various species, in particular lynx, many of which will specialize on hunting this species.

It is currently considered endangered.

Kashmir Musk deer 

Found in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan (as well as possibly western Nepal).

In Afghanistan, no sightings were recorded between 1948 and 2008, but a proper survey recorded 3 sightings in 2009, so they do still cling on here. Although thought to be fragmented, there is much space for these species in Afghanistan, so there is hope that this species will recover.

It is considered endangered, as a result of habitat loss, and hunting for their scent glands.

Siberian Musk deer 

Found in the forests of Northeast asia, common in the Taiga, but also found in Mongolia and on the Korean Peninsula. They are good at hiding from predators, and can run fast when required.

As with some other species, hunting for their musk glands is having an impact on the species, and 30% reduction is expected over the next 3 generations. They have a large range, and there are 5 recognized subspecies

Siberia, North Mongolia, Russia, North China and Korea – M. m. moschiferus[1]

Russian Far East – M. m. turovi

Verkhoyansk Ridge – M. m. arcticus

Sakhalin – M. m. sachalinensis

Korea – M. m. parvipes

There are currently thought to be around 230,000 in the wild, but the number is declining.

White-bellied Musk deer (it is also known as the Himalayan Musk deer)

It is found throughout the Himalayas, and is listed as endangered with serious population decline. They are generally found at heights of over 2500m. They generally occupy a home range of around 22 hectares,

Males are fiercely territorial and will only let females enter. They can live 10-14 years. Predators include Leopard, snow leopard, red fox and grey wolf.

Status, while protected across much of its range, enforcement has proved useless, and as such there is still much hunting going on,

Efforts are being made to farm the species, though they dont appear to cope healthwise with captivity. The ability to harvest the musk while the deer is alive, is also being worked on – this may allow harvesting without killing the animal – making their population far more stable.

Moschidae family and the Muntjacs

Had all of the species found in this family been alive, this family would have been around 3 times larger. The only family that is still alive is the Musk deer.

There are 12 Muntjac species. Now hopefully, at some point the amount of news and information on each species will warrant a different page for each species. However, until that time, there will just be one page (this one).

Bornean yellow muntjac
Fea's muntjac
Giant muntjac (large antlered muntjac
Gongshan muntjac
Hairy-fronted or black-fronted muntjac
Leaf muntjac
Southern red muntjac, or malabar red muntjac (also Indian or Malabar muntjac) Many subspecies
Northern red muntjac
Pu hot muntjac
Reeves or chinese muntjac photo credit rufus46
Roosevelt muntjacs - camera trap in xuan luen reserve credit xuan lien reserve
Truong Son muntjac

Muntjac are an ancient species, having first appeared 15-35 million years ago. What is more, fossils from this period show that Muntjac once lived in Europe, with fossil deposits found in France, Germany and Poland.

This perhaps explains how easily this species has become an invasive species. In parts of the UK, they are the most common deer species to see. Indeed, some of the subspecies are more common outside their natural range than in. Below I will deal with each species in turn. As I say above, should any of these sub-articles get big enough, I will move them off the page. Where ever the information is, you will be able to reach each species information by clicking on its photo

Borneon Yellow Muntjac: endemic (only found in) to the rainforests of Borneo. There is another muntjac species that is found in Borneo the Southern red muntjac, or the common muntjac (this will be dealt with on its own page). It has small horns, only 7 cm long, and is smaller than the common muntjac. Its yellow back also helps differentiate it. Never-the-less, it was only recognized as a separate species in 1982, and there has not been much study done in it since.

Its conservation status is considered least concern, though the population is decreasing. Having said this, given the lack of dedicated study, we do not really know what is going on.

Fea’s Muntjac: Found in southern Myanmar and Thailand, it is considered rare. It has a similar size to the common muntjac, and inhabits upland evergreen, mixed or shrub forest. It takes its name from a zoologist Leonard Fea. It is found in the Tenasserin hillls, that lie along the border between of the two countries.

Its conservation status is considered endangered

Giant Muntjac: also known as the large-antlered muntjac. It was discovered in 1994, in Loas and Vietnam. 38 specimens were caught analysed and rereleased. As a result of slash-and-burn agriculture along with hunting.. They share their home with Leopards and Tigers, so there is a certain amount of natural predation that goes on. 

Its conservation status is critically endangered

Gonshan Muntjac: 

Found in Southeast Tibet, Northeast India and Myanmar. They are regularly hunted, which could threaten their survival. Having said this, while they have not been successful in getting an accurate count, they are regularly encountered, which suggests that they are not endangered.  Khakaborazi National Park and the Hponkanrazi Wildlife Sanctuary are two reserves where their population is good. 

Not currently considered endangered.

 

Hairy fronted (or black fronted ) Muntjac: 

Found in 3 provinces in China, there are some questions as to whether this is the same species as the Gonshon Muntjac.

It is considered endangered with just 5000-10,000 left in the wild. It was considered highly endangered as early as 1975, only being known from a few museum specimens. In 1990 it was thought to have 10,000 individuals, but recent assessments suggest a current population of around 7000.

Leaf Muntjac: 

Discovered by Alan Rabinowitz in 1997 when examining the carcass of a small deer – initially thinking it was the juvenile of another species he realized it was an adult. It is found in Myanmar and India. It is found at heights of 450-600m which is the transition from tropical to temperate forests.

Conservation status is data deficient, but continued hunting would suggest that the population is falling whatever level it is.

Red Muntjac or Southern red Muntjac: 

Until recently, thought to be the same species as the Indian and the Common Muntjac. It is an omnivore, eating fruit, shoots, grass and seeds, alongside birds eggs, small animals and carrion.

It is considered least concern

Northern red Muntjac: 

Found across many countries in South central and South-Eastern Asia. There are still several subspecies, though it was until recently thought to be the same species as the Southern Red Muntjac.

It is considered least concern, and appears to cope with high hunting pressures as well as changes in its home due to climate change.

Pu hoat Muntjac: 

Only found in the Pu Hoat region of Vietnam, close to Laos, it has only been recorded once, and is thought to be similar to the Roosevelt Muntjac.

Reeves or Chinese Muntjac: 

Found in Southern China and Taiwan, it has been introduced to United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan. It was discovered by John Reeves in the 18th century. It feeds on all forms of plant, and will eat bark. It is also known to eat birds eggs and carrion if it gets the chance. It is included on a list of species that cannot be imported into the EU due to the threat it can cause. In 2008 Reeves Muntjac was estimated to have a UK population of over 100,000.

It is considered least concern it its home country, and is quite common 

Roosevelt Muntjac: 

A single specimen was presented to the field museum after a trip organised by Theodore Junior. 

Many consider it a subspecies of the Fey Muntjac, and has officially been extinct since 1929 – though there have been sightings in Northeast Laos and close by in Vientam. A camera trap in Xuan Lien Nature Reserve in Vietnam appear to have identified two individuals, which suggests that it cannot be extinct.

Truong Son Muntjac:

Found in the Truong Son mountains, it was only discovered in 1997.

It is considered data deficient in terms of deciding its status.

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