The lechwe, red lechwe, or southern lechwe (''Kobus leche'') is an antelope found in wetlands of south-central Africa.

Range

The lechwe is native to Botswana, Zambia, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northeastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the

Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Grassland; formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo") in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m in the central part of the en ...

Kafue Flats The Kafue Flats (locally called Butwa) are a vast area of swamp, open lagoon and seasonally inundated flood-plain on the Kafue River in the Southern, Central and Lusaka provinces of Zambia. They are a shallow flood plain 240 km long and a ...

, and

Bangweulu Wetlands The Bangweulu Wetlands is a wetland ecosystem adjacent to Lake Bangweulu in north-eastern Zambia. The area has been designated as one of the world's most important wetlands by the Ramsar Convention and an "Important Bird Area" by BirdLife Internati ...

. The species is fairly common in zoos and wild animal farms.

Description

Adult lechwe typically stand at the shoulder and generally weigh from , with males being larger than females. They are golden brown with white bellies. Males are darker in colour, but exact hue and amount of blackish on the front legs, chest and body varies depending on subspecies. The long, spiral horns are vaguely lyre-shaped and borne only by males. The hind legs are somewhat longer in proportion than in other antelopes to ease long-distance running on marshy soil. File:Red Lechwe in the Okavango.jpg, Adult red lechwes in the

, Botswana File:Leaping Lechwe.jpg, alt=Female red lechwe runningOkavango Delta, Botswana, Female red lechwe,
Okavango Delta File:Red lechwe (Kobus leche leche) juvenile.jpg, alt=Juvenile red lechweOkavango Delta, Botswana, Juvenile red lechwe,
Okavango Delta File:Red lechwe (Kobus leche leche) males fighting, composite.jpg, alt=Males red lechwes flightingOkavango Delta, Botswana, Male red lechwes fighting,
Okavango Delta

Habitats

Lechwe are found in

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

y areas where they are an important herbivore of aquatic plants. They use the knee-deep water as protection from predators. Their legs are covered in a water-repellant substance which allows them to run quite fast in knee-deep water. Lechwe are diurnal. They gather in herds which can include many thousands of individuals. Herds are usually all of one sex, but during mating season they mix.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Four subspecies of the lechwe have been recognized. * Common red lechwe (''Kobus leche leche'') (Gray, 1850) - Widely distributed in the wetlands of

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

. * Kafue Flats lechwe (''Kobus leche kafuensis'') ( Haltenorth, 1963) - It is confined within the

(seasonally inundated flood-plain on the

Kafue River The Kafue River is the longest river lying wholly within Zambia at about long. Its water is used for irrigation and for hydroelectric power. It is the largest tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it is the most centra ...

, Zambia). * Roberts' lechwe (''Kobus leche robertsi'') (

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by sign ...

, 1907) - Formerly found in northeastern Zambia, now extinct. Also called the Kawambwa lechwe. * Black lechwe (''Kobus leche smithemani'') ( Lydekker, 1900) - Found in the Bangweulu region of Zambia. In addition, the Upemba lechwe (''Kobus anselli'') and the extinct Cape lechwe (''Kobus venterae'') are also considered subspecies by some authorities (as ''Kobus leche anselli'' and ''Kobus leche venterae''). Although related and sharing the name "lechwe", the

Nile lechwe The Nile lechwe or Mrs Gray's lechwe (''Kobus megaceros'') is an endangered species of antelope found in swamps and grasslands in Sudan and Ethiopia. Description Males are an average of long and tall at the shoulders, and weigh between , wh ...

(''K. megaceros'') is consistently recognized as a separate species.

Reproduction

Lechwe mate during rain seasons of November to February. They have a gestation period of seven to eight months so a majority of calves are born from July to September. Although rare, hybrids between lechwe and

waterbuck The waterbuck (''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'') is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus '' Kobus'' of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. Its 13 subspecies ar ...

have been observed.

References

External links

*ARKive
images and movies of the black lechwe ''(Kobus leche smithemani)''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q273565 Marsh antelopes Mammals of Sub-Saharan Africa Mammals of Central Africa Mammals of Angola Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mammals of Namibia Mammals of Zambia Mammals described in 1850 Taxa named by John Edward Gray