The eland is either of two African antelope, comprising the genus Taurotragus, that are the most massive of all true antelope. The common eland (Taurotragus oryx), of central and southern Africa has a fawn-coloured coat; it develops a broad, deep-fringed dewlap extending to the knees. Its strong horns spiral straight upward and are usually about 70 centimetres long in large males; in females the horns are longer but more slender. The derby eland, (Taurotragus derbianus), of southern Africa attains a height of about 1.8 metres at the shoulder and has longer horns. Elands are gregarious, relatively slow-moving animals with no definite breeding season; they live for up to 20 years. Hunted for their meat, they are potentially valuable as domestic animals. Research Eland
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Nature
Research Eland
