Antelope

The number of antelope you see in Botswana is amazing. The following are the main ones we saw.

Picture 1 shows an Oryx. They're in the Kalahari and a favorite food of lions. The horns are amazing. There have been cases when a lion jumps on the oryx's back and the oryx throws its head back and gores the lion. They also use the horns when males are fighting for domination. Consequently, the female horns are longer--no fighting among females!

Picture 2 is a Steenbok. They live in pairs in the Kalahari and are food for about everyone! They're the only antelope that jackals can easily catch. They're small and dainty.

Picture 3 is a Springbok. We saw thousands in the Kalahari! We would see large herds of up to 200 animals. The dominant males live solitary lives until breeding season. Lions, cheetahs and leopards will all eat springbok.

Picture 4 is an adult WIldebeest and Picture 5, a baby. Trivia fact: Wildebeest and Gnu are synonymous. We found these both in the Kalahari and the Okavango Delta. The only cat who can take one of these down is a lion.

Picture 6 and 7 are the female and male Red Lechey--no idea where Lechey comes from, but red comes from the color of the fur on their rump. We found these in the delta.

Picture 8 shows female Impala. Like the Springbok in the Kalahari, these are the most common antelope in the delta. Picture 9 shows 2 male impalas fighting for domination. "Boys will be boys!"....

The final picture is a Kudu. These are in the delta, but not often seen. The male has long horns, that make a turn every 2 years or so. An older male would have gigantic spiral horns. Unfortunately, the Hubers' found only females. We had kudu for dinner one night--not bad.