Hartebeest

Hartebeest are ungainly antelopes, readily identified by the combination of large shoulders, a sloping back, red-brown coat and small curved outwards, then forewards, and then backward horns in both sexes.

The hartebeest stand between 47–57 inches (117-143 cm) at the shoulder and can weigh anywhere between 312- 500 lbs (142-228 kg).

Coke’s hartebeest, a subspecies, is most common in Kenya.

Once the widest-ranging African antelope, hartebeests are greatly reduced in numbers and range, but some 10 different populations distinctive enough to be considered different races survive south of the Sahara.

Hartebeest live in grassland and open forest where they eat grass. They usually spend the morning and late afternoon eating.

Herds contain five to twenty individuals but can occasionally contain up to three hundred and fifty.

Predators are spotted hyena, lion, and leopard. Jackals occasionally prey on hidden calves.

Good places to see them are the Masai Mara National Reserve, Nairobi National Park and Tsavo National Park.