The book of antelopes, vol. 4 (of 4)Sclater, Philip Lutley
Science
The book of antelopes, vol. 4 (of 4)
Sclater, Philip Lutley
Antelopes
As these striped Elands grow up, Mr. Selous continues, they differ
considerably one from another. Both bull and cow become of a bluish
grey as their coats become thinner with age, and at a little distance
the white stripes are often indistinguishable, although as long as
there is any hair left they can always be seen on close inspection.
Also the dark patches on the inner sides of the front legs become more
faint with age, and in very old animals disappear altogether.
Mr. Selous also points out that intermediate forms are found between
the two subspecies of Elands, and that, in fact, there is a complete
passage through a long series of variations from one form to the other.
That this is the case is shown clearly by Mr. Selous’s own
observations. He writes (in the same work) as follows:—
“In April 1879 I shot some Elands in the Northern Kalahari,
between Bamangwato and the Botletli River. None of these Elands
showed any signs of stripes, but two of them had light grey
patches on the insides of the fore-legs. About 150 miles farther
north, however, nearly all the Elands that I shot were more or
less striped, though in most cases the stripes were so faint that
they only became apparent on a close inspection. Travelling
northwards towards the Chobi River, I found that although Elands
were still to be met with, on which no stripes could be detected,
most of them were more or less plainly striped, the patches on the
insides of the fore-legs becoming gradually darker at the same
time. North of the Chobi, and between that river and the Zambesi,
the Elands, taken as a whole, become well striped, and the dark
markings on the insides of the fore-legs more and more
conspicuous, many individuals being as richly marked as the real
_Taurotragus oryx livingstonii_, which was first observed by Dr.
Livingstone at Sesheke, immediately north of the Central Zambesi.
Thus, speaking from my own experience, I should say that all the
Elands found in South Africa at the present day south of the 23rd
parallel of latitude are grey Elands (_Taurotragus oryx typicus_),
but that north of that parallel of latitude a tendency to show
white stripes on each side of the body, and dark patches on the
insides of the fore-legs, together with a dark median line down
the centre of the back, from the withers to the tail, commences. I
would say further that this tendency is at first confined to
certain individuals, but becomes more general, and the white
stripes and dark markings gradually more intensified in
individuals, as one travels north and north-east, until north of
the Zambesi and in Mashunaland, and all over South-eastern Africa,
all the Elands are striped without exception, and all of them show
black patches on the insides of the fore-legs and a dark mark down
the centre of the back, and often a white arrow-shaped mark across
the nose, as in the Koodoo and Bushbuck.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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