Nile Lechwe
The Nile lechwe (Kobus megaceros), also known as Mrs. Gray's waterbuck, is a highly aquatic antelope found exclusively in the swampy floodplains of South Sudan and western Ethiopia, particularly in the Sudd wetland. They are exceptionally well-adapted to wading and swimming in deep, muddy waters
Size: ~3.5 feet at the shoulder weighing around 225 pounds
Features: Males and females look remarkably different. Females and young are golden-brown or pale yellow, while mature males develop a rich chocolate-brown to black coat with a blazing white patch on their shoulders. Only males grow horns, which are distinctively long, heavily ridged, and lyre-shaped reaching over 2 ft in length.
Their hooves are unusually elongated and widely splayed, acting like snowshoes to keep them from sinking into soft mud and produce a special body oil that coats their rough, shaggy fur, naturally repelling water.
Conservation Status: Endangered and decreasing. Old census data estimates 4,5000 remaining.
Range: Found only in South Sudan and Ethiopia. The largest part of its range occurs in the Sudd swamps along the Bahr-el-Ghazal (White Nile) and Sobat rivers.
Range area of Nile Lechwe in Africa
