Antelopes you'll see on safari

By 2 On Tour - January 01, 2024

Antelopes: The Graceful Heart of the African Bush

On any safari, it doesn't take long to realize that the African bush is filled with an incredible variety of antelopes. From the smallest to the largest, these graceful and diverse animals are the foundation of the ecosystem, and you'll find them everywhere. While they might be easy to spot, each species is a marvel of adaptation, with unique traits and survival strategies.

You will quickly learn to identify common species by their distinct features, be that the delicate springbok, known for its incredible high-jumping "pronk", the elegant impala, with its lyre-shaped horns and the distinct letter M fur on their backside, the large, spiral-horned kudu, often found in dense woodland, or the sturdy, water-dependent waterbuck with their painted-on "toilet seat" fur pattern.

Are antelopes the same as gazelle?

While all gazelle are antelope, not all antelopes are gazelle ;-) i.e. gazelle are a sub-group of antelope, clustering smaller species like impala, bushbuck, duiker etc.
Male gazelles are called 'ram', females are referred to as 'ewe', while larger antelope males are 'bulls' and females are 'cows.

Here is an overview of some of the most commonly found antelopes in southern and eastern Africa:

1. IMPALA

The most common antelope in Southern Africa.
Males have lyre-shaped horns, both genders have a distinct M-shaped dark fur on their backside. They live in large herds led by a dominant male.

Click for more pictures of impala

2. WATERBUCK

Where there's water, there's a waterbuck. You can easily recognise them by their target-shaped (or 'toilet seat' shaped) white circle on their backsides. Only the males have horns. Sightings are common.

3. GREATER KUDU

One of the largest antelopes, with large ears and white stripes on their rump. The bulls have magnificient, spiral-shaped horns. Sightings are common.

Click here for more photos and info of the Kudu

5. BLUE WILDEBEEST

Also referred to as gnu. They have a very distinct body shape with a muscular front and a sloping back. Both genders wear horns. Sightings are common.

6. COMMON ELAND

The world's largest antelope, with bulls weighing up to 900kg. Both female and male have tightly spiralled, V-shaped horns.

7. THOMSON'S GAZELLE

Small antelope common in East Africa. They are easily distinguished by the dark horizontal stripe on their flanks. Both male and female Thomson's gazelle have horns.

8. GRANT'S GAZELLE

A large gazelle common in eastern Africa. Easily distinguishable from the Thomson's gazelle by its size, the lack of dark stripe along the flank and the white patch that extends above its tail. Both genders have ribbed, lyre-shaped horns.

9. SOUTHERN REEDBUCK

Medium sized gazelle of Southern Africa. Only males have horns, they are short, curved and pointing forward. Reedbuck live in small family groups.

10. STEENBOK

One of the smallest gazelle. Commonly found in Southern Africa. Only males have horns, they are straight and point directly upward. Steenbok are solitary.

11. BUSHBUCK

Common medium size antelope that can be found in almost any habitat. Only males have horns. They are easily distinguishable by their reddish-brown coat with white stripes and spots. When in danger, buschbuck make loud barking noices. They are solitary.

12. ROAN

Roan antelope are a rare sighting - and their population of only about 60'000 individuals give them the conservation status 'endangered'. Both male and female have horns. Herds are led by a matriarch / dominant female.

13. BONTEBOK

Medium-sized antelope endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa. While not endangered, they are low in numbers due to their very limited habitat (Bontebok NP, Westcoast NP, Cape Point NR, De Hoop NR, Mountain Zebra NP, Karoo NP). Both genders have horns.

14. RED LECHWE

Near-threatened water-loving antelope in south-central Africa. Their legs are coated in a water-repellent substance and their hooves are long and splayed, allowing them to run fast through water and mud. Only males have horns.

Antilopen - das grazile Herz des afrikanischen Buschs

Wer auf safari geht merkt schnell, dass der afrikanische Busch vor diversen Antilopenarten nur so strotzt. Unabhängig von der Größe, stellen diese grazilen und vielschichtigen Tiere das Fundament des Ökosystems dar - sie sind allgegenwärtig. Und obwohl man die meisten ohne große Mühe findet, ist es nicht immer einfach, sie auseinanderzuhalten.

Es ist nicht so schwierig, die individuellen Marker der verbreitetsten Spezies zu erkennen - z. B. den zierlichen Springbock mit seinem leichtfüßigen 'boink' Sprung, die eleganten Impalas mit ihren leierförmigen Hörnern und dem auffälligen M-förmigen Fell am Po, den großen Kudu mit den beeindruckenden riesigen Korkenzieher-Hörnern, den man häufig im dichten Unterholz findet, oder den wasserliebenden Wasserbock, der aussieht als ob man ihm eine Klobrille auf den Po gepinselt hätte.

Sind Antilopen dasselbe wie Gazellen?

Obwohl alle Gazellen Antilopen sind, sind nicht alle Antilopen Gazellen ;-) d.h. Gazellen sind eine Untergruppe der Antilopen, die die kleineren Spezies wie Impala, Buschbock, Duiker etc. zusammenfasst.
Männliche Gazellen werde i.d.R. als Böcke bezeichnet, weibliche als Auen, während die größeren Antilopenmännchen Bullen und deren Weibchen Kühe genannt werden.

Hier ist eine Übersicht der am häufigsten vorkommenden Antilopenarten im südlichen und östlichen Afrika: