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The Sable Antelope (Hippotragus niger) is a large African ungulate featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.

Zoopedia Description[]

General[]

Population in the Wild: 48,000

The sable antelope (or Hippotragus niger) is a species of ungulate that lives in South-Eastern Africa. They have long, notched horns that curve backwards from their face, a tan-to-black coat with a white underbelly, chin and throat, as well as white tear-marks on their face. Males are larger, darker and have longer horns than females. Both sexes graze and browse on the savannah, preferring lightly wooded areas to completely open ones.

The species is not endangered and is seen in large numbers throughout its range. However, the amount of space available to them has declined - their natural habitat having been reduced by mankind's urban expansion, which has destroyed grazing lands and turned large areas of savannah into farmland. The giant sable antelope subspecies is classed as critically endangered. Additionally, sable antelope are hunted for their distinctive horns, not to mention vulnerable to diseases spread by the tsetse fly.

Social[]

The sable antelope is a social herd species and in the wild live in two types of groups: in breeding groups of related females, their young, and one unrelated dominant male; or in bachelor herds of young males who have not yet acquired a harem of females.

Reproduction[]

Dominant males acquire and defend a territory, which females and their offspring will come to forage. As they do, he will join their group. 8 to 9 months after mating with a receptive female, she will leave her herd to give birth in isolation, with the newborn calf remaining hidden for the first 4 weeks of its life. After this period, it will rejoin the group to forage and graze, weaning at 8 months and maturing sexually at 18 months. However, the sexually mature sable antelopes are unlikely to reproduce until much older.

Females remain with their mother's group and likely have their first calf at 2.5 years old, whereas males will be ousted from their family at approximately 3, at which point they will join a bachelor herd of other young males. After a few more years, a male can become dominant in his bachelor herd. This usually occurs at around 5 or 6 years of age, at which point the male will leave to establish his own territory and acquire his own female herd.

Animal Care[]

PREFERRED OBJECTS

Hay · Herbivore Pellets · Fruit and Vegetables

FEEDING STATIONS
Food Trough · Water Trough · Water Pipe

FOOD ENRICHMENT
Grazing Ball Feeder · Hanging Grazer Feeder · Small Barrel Feeder

HABITAT ENRICHMENT
Grab Ball · Herb Scent Marker · Rubbing Pillar · Scots Pine/Tamarind Scratching Tree

COMPATIBLE ANIMALS

IconAfricanBuffalo IconBlackWildebeest IconBlueWildebeest IconCommonOstrich IconCommonWarthog IconPlainsZebra IconReticulatedGiraffe IconSouthernWhiteRhinoceros IconSpringbok IconThomsonsGazelle

Trivia[]

Zoopedia Fun Facts[]

  • The females have strong hierarchies within their herd, with the alpha female being the strongest, healthiest individual. They are also hostile towards new female group members.
  • In the wild, sable antelope chew bones to gain minerals from them.
  • Sable antelope get darker as they get older. The darkness of the coat often indicates seniority of group members, with alpha females and males being dark brown to black in colour.
  • Young males will often play fight as practice and older males will challenge each other by butting heads and pushing each other with their horns, but fights rarely become violent.
  • Sable antelopes do not flee from predators but stand their ground, often attacking with their horns. They have been known to kill lions.

Other Trivia[]

  • It is also known as the “Giant Sable Antelope” and the “Southern Sable Antelope”.

Gallery[]

ANIMAL NAVIGATION
STANDARD: HABITAT
AardvarkAfrican BuffaloAfrican Savannah ElephantAfrican Wild DogAldabra Giant TortoiseAmerican BisonBactrian CamelBaird's TapirBengal TigerBlack WildebeestBongoBonoboBornean OrangutanCheetahChinese PangolinCommon OstrichCommon WarthogFormosan Black BearGalapagos Giant TortoiseGemsbokGharialGiant PandaGreater FlamingoGrizzly BearHimalayan Brown BearHippopotamusIndian ElephantIndian PeafowlIndian RhinocerosJapanese MacaqueMandrillNile MonitorNyalaOkapiPlains ZebraPronghorn AntelopeRed PandaRed Ruffed LemurReticulated GiraffeRing Tailed LemurSable AntelopeSaltwater CrocodileSiberian TigerSnow LeopardSpotted HyenaSpringbokTimber WolfWest African LionWestern ChimpanzeeWestern Lowland Gorilla
ANNIVERSARY UPDATES
African LeopardBlack-and-White Ruffed LemurCollared PeccaryRed Deer
STANDARD: EXHIBIT
Amazonian Giant CentipedeBoa ConstrictorBrazilian Salmon Pink TarantulaBrazilian Wandering SpiderCommon Death AdderEastern Brown SnakeGiant Burrowing CockroachGiant Desert Hairy ScorpionGiant Forest ScorpionGiant Tiger Land SnailGila MonsterGolden Poison FrogGoliath BeetleGoliath BirdeaterGoliath FrogGreen IguanaLehmann's Poison FrogLesser Antillean IguanaMexican Red Knee TarantulaPuff AdderTitan BeetleWestern Diamondback RattlesnakeYellow Anaconda
DELUXE EDITION
Komodo DragonPygmy HippoThomson's Gazelle
ARCTIC PACK
Arctic WolfDall SheepPolar BearReindeer
SOUTH AMERICA PACK
Colombian White-Faced Capuchin MonkeyGiant AnteaterJaguarLlamaRed-Eyed Tree Frog
AUSTRALIA PACK
DingoKoalaRed KangarooSouthern CassowaryEastern Blue Tongued Lizard
AQUATIC PACK
Cuvier's Dwarf CaimanGiant OtterGrey SealKing PenguinDiamondback Terrapin
SOUTHEAST ASIA ANIMAL PACK
BinturongClouded LeopardDholeMalayan TapirNorth Sulawesi BabirusaProboscis MonkeySun BearGiant Malaysian Leaf Insect
AFRICA PACK
African PenguinFennec FoxMeerkatSouthern White RhinocerosSacred Scarab Beetle
NORTH AMERICA ANIMAL PACK
American AlligatorArctic FoxBlack-Tailed Prairie DogCalifornia Sea LionCougarMooseNorth American BeaverAmerican Bullfrog
EUROPE PACK
Alpine IbexEurasian LynxEuropean BadgerEuropean Fallow DeerFire Salamander
WETLANDS ANIMAL PACK
Asian Small-Clawed OtterCapybaraNile LechwePlatypusRed-Crowned CraneSpectacled CaimanWild Water BuffaloDanube Crested Newt
CONSERVATION PACK
Amur LeopardAxolotlPrzewalski's HorseScimitar-Horned OryxSiamang
TWILIGHT PACK
Common WombatEgyptian Fruit BatRaccoonRed FoxStriped Skunk
GRASSLANDS ANIMAL PACK
Blue WildebeestCaracalCloudless SulphurEmuEuropean PeacockManed WolfMenelaus Blue MorphoMonarchNine-Banded ArmadilloOld World SwallowtailRed-Necked WallabyStriped Hyena
TROPICAL PACK
Asian Water MonitorBrown-throated SlothFossaLar GibbonRed River Hog
ARID ANIMAL PACK
AddaxAfrican Crested PorcupineBlack RhinocerosDama GazelleDesert Horned ViperDromedary CamelSand CatSomali Wild Ass
OCEANIA PACK
Little PenguinNorth Island Brown KiwiQuokkaSpectacled Flying FoxTasmanian Devil
EURASIA ANIMAL PACK
Hermann's TortoiseMute SwanSaigaSloth BearTakinWild BoarWisentWolverine
BARNYARD ANIMAL PACK
AlpacaAlpine GoatAmerican Standard DonkeyHighland CattleHill Radnor SheepSussex ChickenTamworth Pig
ZOOKEEPERS ANIMAL PACK
African Spurred TortoiseCoquerel's SifakaHamadryas BaboonKirk's Dik-DikMarkhorPallas's CatSpectacled Bear
For the main article, see here.
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