Lesser kudu

The lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) is a medium-sized bushland antelope found in East Africa. The species is a part of the ungulate genus Tragelaphus (family Bovidae), along with several other related species of striped, spiral-horned African bovids, including the related greater kudu, the bongo, bushbuck, common and giant elands, nyala and sitatunga. It was first scientifically described by English zoologist Edward Blyth (1869).

The lesser kudu's nose-to-tail length is typically 110–140 cm (43–55 in). Males reach about 95–105 cm (37–41 in) at the shoulder, while females reach 90–100 cm (35–39 in). Males typically weigh 92–108 kg (203–238 lb) and females 56–70 kg (123–154 lb). Horns are present only on males. The spiral horns are 50–70 cm (20–28 in) long, and have 2-2.5 complete twists. The lesser kudus have very distinctive physical markings; females and juveniles have a golden-brown coat, with white vertical stripes on their sides, while the males develop into a dark grey colour—after about two years—and grow a pronounced "streak" of shaggy hair down the centre of their backs. Males retain the golden-brown color only on the shins, with the top of each thigh having a darker black band separating it from the grey body. The inner thighs are white. Males also have distinct black "masks" on their faces, with a black underside going up to the sternum. Males and females both display a series of unique white markings and patches, including white lips, two small spots on both cheeks, a spot at the base of each ear, two spots between the eyes, white eyelids, a white throat patch, and a patch of white atop the chest. These markings may aid in camouflaging and hiding amidst shrubbery, as well as helping to cool specific areas of the body by being white.

A pure browser, the lesser kudu subsists off of foliage from tall bushes, trees (fresh branch shoots, twigs) and herbaceous perennial plants. Despite seasonal and local fluctuations, foliage from trees and shrubs constitutes 60–80% of their diet throughout the year. The lesser kudu is mainly crepuscular, preferring to be active after dusk until the dawn hours, seeking shelter in dense thickets just after the sunrise. The lesser kudu exhibits no territorial behaviour, and fights are rare. While females are gregarious, adult males prefer being solitary. No fixed breeding season is seen; births may occur at any time of the year. The lesser kudu inhabits dry bushland regions, bordering on arid grasslands, as well as scrubland and light open forest habitat.

The lesser kudu is native to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, but it is possibly extirpated from Djibouti. It may have been present in Saudi Arabia and Yemen as recently as 1967, though its presence in the Arabian Peninsula is still controversial. The total population of the lesser kudu has been estimated to be nearly 118,000, with a decreasing trend in populations. One-third of the populations survive in protected areas. Presently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature rates the lesser kudu as "near threatened".

The scientific name of the lesser kudu is Tragelaphus imberbis. The animal is classified under the genus Tragelaphus in family Bovidae. It was first described by the English zoologist Edward Blyth in 1869. The generic name, Tragelaphus, derives from Greek word tragos, meaning a male goat, and elaphos, which means a deer, while the specific name imberbis comes from the Latin term meaning unbearded, referring to this kudu's lack of mane. The vernacular name kudu (or koodoo) may have originated from the Khoikhoi kudu, or via the Afrikaans koedoe. The term "lesser" denotes the smaller size of this antelope as compared to the greater kudu.

In 1912, the genus Ammelaphus was established for just the lesser kudu by American zoologist Edmund Heller, the type species being A. strepsiceros. The lesser kudu is now typically placed in Tragelaphus. However, a 2011 publication by Colin Groves and Peter Grubb argues for the lesser kudu's renewed placement in the genus Ammelaphus on the grounds that this species is part of the earliest-diverging lineage of its tribe, having split from the main lineage before it separated into Tragelaphus and Taurotragus.

In 2005, Sandi Willows-Munro (of the University of KwaZulu-Natal) and colleagues carried out a mitochondrial analysis of the nine Tragelaphus species. mtDNA and nDNA data were compared. The results showed that the tribe Tragelaphini is monophyletic with the lesser kudu basal in the phylogeny, followed by the nyala (T. angasii). On the basis of mitochondrial data, the lesser kudu separated from its sister clade around 13.7 million years ago. However, the nuclear data show that lesser kudu and nyala form a clade, and collectively separated from the sister clade 13.8 million years ago.

The lesser kudu has 38 diploid chromosomes. However, unlike others in the subfamily Tragelaphinae, the X chromosome and Y chromosome are compound and each is fused with one of two identical autosomes.