Waterbucks in Pendjari National Park, Benin

Waterbucks (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) can be assigned to one of two subspecies: the Common Waterbuck (Kobus e. ellipsiprymnus) of southeastern Africa and the Defassa Waterbuck (Kobus e. defassa) occurring in western, central, and northeastern Africa. Both subspecies can be easily differentiated by their coat. The Common Waterbuck has a white ring of hair surrounding the tail, lacking in the more uniformly colored Defassa Waterbuck. The antelopes have brown, shaggy hair which is much longer than in other antelopes. Males are slightly larger than females and carry impressive, curved horns. True to their name, the animals depend on water and inhabit savannahs close to water bodies. They live in groups of 6 to 30 individuals and feed predominantly on grass.

I have photographed these elegant antelopes during a visit to the Pendjari National Park in Benin (February 2012).

male waterbuck and female kob

male waterbuck showing its uniformly colored rump

waterbucks

waterbucks and kob

female waterbucks

female waterbuck