Red hartebeest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red hartebeest |
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| At Etosha National Park, Namibia | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Alcelaphinae |
| Genus: | Alcelaphus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
A. b. caama
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| Trinomial name | |
| Alcelaphus buselaphus caama Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803
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| Distribution of red hartebeest (in orange) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Alcelaphus buselaphus caama G. Cuvier, 1804 |
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The red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama), also called the Cape hartebeest or Caama, is a type of hartebeest found in Southern Africa. More than 130,000 of these animals live in the wild. The red hartebeest is related to other antelopes like the tsessebe and the topi.
This large African antelope belongs to the Bovidae family. It is considered one of ten subspecies of hartebeest. Sometimes, it is even seen as its own separate species, A. caama. The red hartebeest is known for its bright colors, with black markings that stand out against its white belly and rear. It has a longer face than other hartebeest types. Its horns are complex and curvy, joining together at their base.
Male red hartebeests usually weigh about 150 kilograms (330 pounds), while females weigh around 120 kilograms (265 pounds). They stand about 135 centimeters (53 inches) tall at the shoulder. Their horns can grow up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) long. A red hartebeest can live for about 19 years.
Males and females look quite similar, with no major physical differences. However, males tend to have slightly larger bodies and horns. This is because males use their horns to fight and defend themselves when choosing a mate.
Hartebeests have excellent hearing and a great sense of smell. But their eyesight is not very good. When they feel threatened, they run away very fast, reaching speeds up to 55 kilometers per hour (34 mph). They run in a zigzag pattern to confuse predators, making it harder for them to be caught.
Contents
Life Cycle
Reproduction
Red hartebeests are pregnant for about eight months. They usually give birth to one calf at a time. Calves are typically born in a seasonal pattern, just before the summer rains begin.
After birth, young calves are hidden in thick plants. They stay hidden until they are strong enough to join a group. Being in a group helps them stay safe from predators, as young calves are quite weak. Most female hartebeests start having babies after they turn two years old. They can get pregnant again about 9 or 10 months after giving birth.
Diet
Red hartebeests are grass-eaters. Their long snouts help them grab and chew grasses very well. During the rainy season in southern Africa, a type of grass called Andropogon is very common. This grass becomes their main food source.
Since they are grazers, their diet changes with the seasons. In the wet seasons, they eat high-quality, green grass. In the dry seasons, they eat lower-quality parts of the grass. Hartebeests do not need to drink water as often as some other antelopes. They only need to drink when they cannot find water-rich foods like melons and tubers.
Predators
A few carnivores hunt hartebeest in southern Africa. These include lions, spotted hyenas, leopards, and cheetahs. Sometimes, Nile crocodiles might try to catch a hartebeest drinking water, but this is not common.
Hartebeests are not the main food source for any of these predators. Cheetahs, for example, prefer smaller gazelles like Thomson’s gazelle or springbok, or medium-sized antelopes like impala. When lions hunt hartebeest, they usually target adult males. Spotted hyenas and leopards, however, tend to hunt vulnerable young calves. This is because it is hard to catch fast-moving adult hartebeests. Also, the meat of hartebeests is thought to be "oily" and not very tasty to some predators.
Environmental Threats
Hunting can be a problem for red hartebeests in rural areas. It is often hard to enforce animal protection laws, or there might not be any laws at all. Hunting hartebeests for survival has been done for a very long time. Hunters used to chase them in the hottest part of the day, when the animals were weakest. Today, this type of hunting is rare, happening in only a few places like the central Kalahari.
Habitat and Where They Live
The red hartebeest mostly lives in southwestern Africa. This part of Africa has many different landscapes, climates, and types of plants. This variety has helped different hartebeest species develop and spread out.
Most hoofed animals in Africa, like the hartebeest, move around a lot. They do this because their food sources run out if they stay in one place. Red hartebeests live in herds in open plains and scrublands. These areas are found in the sub-Saharan African climate.
Evolutionary History
A long time ago, in the early 1900s, the word "antelope" was used for many different animals with hollow horns, except for oxen, sheep, and goats. Africa has the most types of antelopes, with horns of many different sizes.
The red hartebeest belongs to the Bovidae family. It used to be grouped under the Bubalinae subfamily but is now part of the Alcelaphini subfamily. This group of African bovids is quite young, dating back about 5 million years. They have changed and diversified a lot over time. The oldest fossil of an Alcelaphus animal is about 740,000 years old. Other animals in the Alcelaphini group include the hirola, wildebeest, and Damaliscus.
Over millions of years, the Alcelaphini group has changed to fit different environments and spread across Africa. Scientists believe that the Alcelaphus group, which includes the red hartebeest, evolved and diversified because of climate changes during the Pleistocene era. The red hartebeest species, Alcelaphus caama, came from a southern group of these animals, which also included lichtensteinii, found in Namibia.
The changes in these species are thought to be caused by environmental and habitat changes. These changes happened due to global warming about 250,000 to 195,000 years ago, and global cooling about 175,000 to 125,000 years ago.
Gallery
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From Namibia
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Cow and calf in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
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Morning light highlighting the reddish colour in Addo Elephant National Park
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Side profile showing characteristic curving horns Addo Elephant National Park
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