Antelope

An antelope is a type of hoofed mammal that lives mostly in Africa, with some kinds in Asia. Antelopes have long legs, slim bodies, and horns that stay on their heads for life. They belong to the same family as cows, sheep, and goats. There are about 90 different species, from tiny ones the size of a rabbit to giants taller than a person.

Antelopes are not all closely related. The word "antelope" is more like a nickname than a scientific group. It covers many hoofed animals that run fast and eat plants. The impala, the gazelle, the wildebeest, the gemsbok, and the eland are all called antelopes, even though some are only distant cousins.

Size varies a lot. The royal antelope of West Africa stands just 10 inches tall at the shoulder and weighs about 5 pounds, smaller than many house cats. The giant eland, on the other end, can weigh more than 2,000 pounds, as much as a small car. Most antelopes fall somewhere in between.

Speed is the antelope's main defense. Many can run 40 to 50 miles per hour in short bursts. Impalas can leap 10 feet into the air and cover 30 feet in one jump. This helps them escape lions, cheetahs, and hyenas. Some antelopes also use their horns to fight back. The oryx has long, straight horns nearly 3 feet long, sharp enough to injure a lion.

Unlike deer, which shed their antlers every year, antelopes keep their horns for life. Horns are made of bone covered in a hard material called keratin, the same stuff in your fingernails. In most species, only the males have horns. In others, like the impala, both sexes have them.

Antelopes live in many habitats. Gazelles race across open plains. Bongos hide in thick African rainforests. Sables graze in woodlands. The saiga antelope of Central Asia has a strange, floppy nose that warms cold air before it reaches the lungs.

Some antelopes travel in enormous herds. The wildebeest migration in East Africa moves about 1.5 million animals in a giant loop across Kenya and Tanzania each year, following the rains. Lions, crocodiles, and cheetahs follow the herd, hunting along the way.

Many antelope species are in trouble. Hunting, farming, and shrinking habitats have pushed some to the edge. The saiga antelope nearly went extinct in the 1990s. Conservation programs have slowly helped it recover, but its future is still not safe.