Giant sable antelope

The giant sable antelope or royal sable antelope (Hippotragus niger variani), also known in Portuguese as the palanca-negra-gigante, is a large, rare subspecies of the sable antelope native and endemic to the region between the Cuango and Luando Rivers in Angola.

Giant sable antelope
Stuffed specimens at the American Natural History Museum, New York City
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Hippotraginae
Genus: Hippotragus
Species:
H. niger
Subspecies:
H. n. variani
Trinomial name
Hippotragus niger variani
Thomas, 1916
Geographic range

There was a great degree of uncertainty regarding the number of animals that survived during the Angolan Civil War. In January 2004, a group from the Centro de Estudos e Investigação Científica of the Catholic University of Angola, led by Dr. Pedro Vaz Pinto, was able to obtain photographic evidence of one of the remaining herds from a series of trap cameras installed in the Cangandala National Park, south of Malanje.

The giant sable antelope is the national symbol of Angola, and is held in a great regard by its people. This was perhaps one of the reasons the animals survived the long civil war. In African mythology, just like other antelopes, they symbolize vivacity, velocity, beauty and visual sharpness.

The giant sable antelope is evaluated as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. As of 2021 they reportedly only have a population of 300, 100 of which are living in Cangandala National Park.[3]

Description
Stuffed specimen in the American Museum of Natural History, New York City

Both sexes have horns, which can reach 1.5 meters in length. Males and females are very similar in appearance until they reach three years of age, when the males become darker and develop majestic horns. The males weigh an average of 238 kg (525 lb) with a height of 116–142 cm (46–56 in). Females weigh 220 kg and are slightly shorter than males. The horns are massive and more curved in males, reaching lengths of 81–165 cm (32–65 in), while females' horns are only 61–102 cm (24–40 in) in length. Coloration in bulls is black, while cows and calves are chestnut, except in southern populations where females turn brownish-black. Most sable antelopes have white "eyebrows", their rostra are sectioned into cheek stripes, and their bellies and rump patches are white. Young under two months old typically are light brown and have slight markings.

The largest giant sable antelope horns recorded to date measured 65 inches long. The animal was shot by the Count of Yebes in Angola in 1949 and became the world record.[4]

Ecology and behavior

Like all antelopes, giant sables are shy by nature, but they can also be very aggressive. The males can be especially dangerous when hurt, attacked, or approached. In fights, males avoid some serious injuries by kneeling down on their front legs, and engage in horn-wrestling fights. Fatalities from these fights are rare.

Juveniles are hunted by leopards and hyenas, while adults are only threatened by lions and crocodiles.[5] When startled, the antelope normally runs for only a short distance before slowing and looking back; however, when they are pursued, they can run at speeds up to 35 mph for a considerable distance.[5]

Evolution

Mitochondrial DNA evidence from a specimen preserved in the Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra before the Angolan Civil War suggest that the giant sable is monophyletic within the sable antelope group, and that it split from the other three sable antelope subspecies around 170,000 years ago.[6]

Habitat

The giant sable antelope lives in forests near water, where leaves and tree sprouts are always juicy and abundant. It is a critically endangered subspecies; it is protected in natural parks and hunting it is forbidden. Typically, giant sable antelopes are specialized browsers feeding on foliage and herbs, especially those growing on termite mounds. One of the reasons for the decline in giant sable antelope numbers could be the animals' very specific feeding patterns. Typically, they will feed on tree leaves, which make up to 90% of their diets, at heights of 40–140 mm (1.6–5.5 in) from the ground, taking only the leaves.

Relationship with humans

The giant sable antelope is a national symbol of Angola and is portrayed on numerous stamps, banknotes, and even passports of the nation.[5] The Angola national football team is fondly known as the Palancas Negras in honor of this antelope.[5]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2017). "Hippotragus niger ssp. variani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T10169A50188611. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T10169A50188611.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is critically endangered.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Stimpson, Ashley (June 8, 2021). "One Biologist's 20-Year Mission to Save Angola's Giant Sable". Atlas Obscura. p. 1. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  4. Walker (2004). p. 105
  5. Ellis, Richard (2004). No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species. New York: Harper Perennial. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-06-055804-8.
  6. Espregueira Themudo, Gonçalo; Rufino, Ana C.; Campos, Paula F. (2015-02-01). "Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the endangered giant sable antelope (Hippotragus niger variani): Insights into conservation and taxonomy". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 83 (#1): 242–249. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.12.001. PMID 25527983.
  • Walker, John Frederick. A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola. Atlantic Monthly Press. 2002.
  • Cabral, C. & Verissimo, L. (2005) - The Ungulate Fauna of Angola: Systematic List, Distribution Maps, Database Report. Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Estudos Ensaios e Documentos, 163, Lisboa
  • Mellon, James African Hunter Safari Bress (185)

Bibliography
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