Appearance

The greater kudu is a large antelope. The male kudu stands about 160cm (5.2ft) tall at the shoulder. They can weigh anywhere in the region of 190-270kg (420-600lb) The males are the only ones with horns. These can add 120cm (47in) of height to the kudu on average. The current record for the longest horn was 187.64cm (73.87in).

Female greater kudus weigh between 120 and 210kg (260-460lb). At the shoulder they stand approximately 100cm (3.2ft).

Greater kudus measure 185-245cm (6.07-8.04ft) from head to tail. The tail makes up another 30-55cm (11.8-21.7in) of length.

These animals have long legs and their body is narrow in shape. Across the torso run 4-12 stripes which are white. A white band (known as a chevron) runs between the eyes. Normally the head will be darker in colouration that the body. The body is coloured anything from a bluey-grey to brown or reddish.

Diet

The greater kudu is a herbivore. During the dry season they need to drink water but in the wet season most of this is obtained from their food.

The kudu lives on a diet of leaves, fruits, vines, flowers, grasses and herbs.

Range

Greater kudus hail from Africa. In the East of Africa they can be found in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Eritrea and Kenya. In this area the populations are fragmented and broken up into small groups. In the South they are more densely populated. Here they can be found in Zambia, Angola, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana.

Habitat

They live within thick bushveld, rocky hillsides and dry riverbeds. These areas are generally near to flowing water.