Hippotragus equinus
Standing 1.5m high and weighing up to 300kg, the Roan Antelope is one of the biggest antelope occurring in South Africa. Their black-and-white face masks and curiously long ears make them easily recognisable.
Roan Antelope are grazers, occurring in lightly wooded savannas and preferring areas with long grass and easy access to drinking water.
Breeding herds, usually numbering between 2 and 15 animals, consist of a dominant bull, cows and calves that occupy a specific home range of up to 200km² (the size of which depends on the availability of quality grazing and water sources) for generations. While they are not strictly territorial, the lead bull will not tolerate other bulls coming closer than 300 – 500m from his harem.
Single calves are born at any time of the year, though mostly in spring and summer, and remain hidden for the first 2 – 6 weeks after birth with the mother returning to it twice daily for nursing. Calves form “creches” once they are introduced to the herd, rather than constantly sticking to their mothers’ side. The curved horns of the adults are formidable weapons, and even lions are wary of attacking them, though calves are easy prey as they’ll try to remain hidden and will seldom attempt to flee when threatened by a predator, explaining in part why up to 40% of calves die before reaching 5 months of age. Roan Antelope have a natural life expectancy of up to 19 years in the wild.
In Africa as a whole, the roan population is estimated at around 76,000 by the IUCN, with an overall decreasing trend due to poaching and habitat loss. In South Africa they are a rare species, numbering perhaps 1,500 in total, with small populations to be found in the Kruger, Marakele and Mokala National Parks, a few provincial nature reserves and on some private properties.
DeWetsWild 
Great face and side shots.. Shared this with my 9-yr-old.
Welcome here Diana, and thank you for the very kind comment!
Beautiful set of antelope images, de Wets. The lead shot is a great capture.
Thanks a lot, Jane!
That top shot is so striking it upstages all the others, excellent though all of them are.
Thanks for the very kind comment, Colonialist!
Hulle is te mooi (en skaars)… ek sal verby hou met die “B” woord! 😉
Net so – dit sal n skreiende skande wees as mens hulle eet!
Ja-nee… ons sal maar kou and ‘n ou stukkie bees… of kudu! 😉
Wow! They’re tall! I think they can easily kick my behind!
That’s probably true, Maida – no one should try to tangle with those horns!
Moes gaan Google om die Afrikaanse naam te kry – baster-gemsbok – en nou wonder ek hoekom dit so genoem word? Ken die bok glad nie, maar het hom dalk al in my onkunde iewers gesien…
Hulle het maar hul Afrikaanse naam gekry omdat hul maskers aan die gemsbok herinner, Tannie Frannie.
Dankie, Dries! Ek leer so lekker hier op die blogs.
Dis heerlik om nuwe mense te ontmoet en gedagtes uit te ruil!
Dankie… ek het ook gewonder! Ek kan nou nie eers meer onthou of ek hulle in die NKW gesien het nie! Die herhindering word vaag…
As jy hulle te siene gekry het kan jy jouself baie gelukkig ag, AJ!
Ek was altyd trots daarop dat ek meeste van die bok soorte gesien het en kon identifiseer… maar… 😉
Mens moet in oefening bly! Nou in plaas van bokke is jy n ekspert met die vlinders!
Expert… a drip under pressure!
Daar is minder soorte Ierse vlinders as SA bok soorte!! 😉
Jy ken nogsteeds meer as ek!
Maar jy kuier lekkered as ek! EN! Jy eet biltong!! En braai in die sonskyn… en van vis in die Olifants Revier… en hardloop weg van al die plathonde in St Lucia… en, en… en… nou wil ek huil! 😦
Ai AJ, ek dink jy verlang!
Ek wonder wat gee jou daai idee???
Pragtig soos gewoonlik
Baie dankie Tina!
Ek is mal oor daardie lang ore!Julle was gelukkig om hulle te sien.Pragtige foto’s,Dries.
Dankie Dina! As ons nou net so gelukkig kon wees met die swartwitpense ook!
Daarvoor moet julle Mahangu toe gaan…daar is groot troppe!
Dankie vir die tip, Dina!
I’ve always thought antelope ears were rather interesting, but these are the most remarkable! I like the way they droop down at the tip. As if they’d grown so long it wasn’t supported any more. 🙂
That’s very true, Pat – Taking it a bit too far!
I too love the first photo with the face peeking out of the bushes. Those are the kind of photos that are just a treasure to catch because they can’t be planned – they just happen.
I like the little guys with the immature horns 🙂
Thanks Joanne! I think that unpredictability is probably why being out in the bush is so addictive!
Beautiful creature! Love the first image especially.
Thanks a lot, Amy!
Like Janet, I also like that first photo. What interesting markings they have.
Thanks P J B! They do look a bit like Zorro, don’t they?
Yes, they just need a cape 🙂
hello 🙂
He does look like he wants to give a shy “hi”, doesn’t he Gavin?
Love, love, love that top shot.
janet
Thank you very much, Janet! We thought it was rather funny that such a big guy was so shy of the camera yet so curious that he kept peeping through openings in the bush to make sure we were still there!