Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni)
The
mountain nyala is endemic to Ethiopia (found only in Ethiopia) and is
limited in its distribution to the Bale and Arussi provinces of Ethiopia.
Because it was the last great African antelope to become to known to
science (It was first recorded in 1910), little is known about its habits.
It stands 135cms (53 inches) at the shoulder and weighs 200-250 kgs.
(440-550 lbs.) and an old bull may weigh as much as 300 kgs. (660 lbs.)
As a comparison, elk stand at 122-152 cms (4 to 5 feet) and bull elk
weigh 315-450 kgs. (700-1,000 lbs.)
 A forest animal, the nyala flourishes in a mosaic of high-altitude
woodland (juniper and Hagenia forest), heath, moorland and valley-bottom
grassland ranging from approximately 2,100 m to 4,200 m. Plants of the
tomato family (Solanaceae), St. John's wort (Hypericum), lady's
mantle (Alchemilla) and goosegrass (Galium) are the
most frequent browse of the nyala and it is also known to eat fallen
leaves of the Hagenia during the dry season. The lower reaches of its
range are more suited to the species than the upper less-vegetated areas,
but in most parts of its range, this habitat has been taken over for
cultivation and pastoralism.
Results of genetic analysis indicate that the mountain nyala is likely
to be more closely related to the bushbuck, sitatunga, and the bongo
than the Greater Kudu (T. strepsceros) although early accounts
referred to the nyala as the Spotted Kudu. However, the male nyala lacks
the throat mane and hump on the shoulders of the kudu and is generally
smaller in size than its closest relative, weighing up to only 300 kg
(660 lbs). Males are a sepia brown color that slowly gets darker with
age while females (left) are of a pale liver-color with a scattering
of vestigial spots and stripes. Mating peaks in December and single
young are born after an 8-9 month gestation, at the end of the wet season.
Females accompanied by one or two generations of young form very frequent
but essentially impermanent associations with other mother-young groups.
A young mountain nyala stays closely attached to its mother for as long
as 2 years, by which time female calves are themselves pregnant and
males have long horns and join bachelor groups. Older males usually
remain solitary.
The Tragelaphini - A Genetic Analysis
(September
2002)
It has been theorized that all African spiral-horned bovines (tragelaphines),
which include the genus Tragelaphus and Taurotragus,
derive from a single immigrant ancestral type which subsequently branched
into a larger and smaller lineage. The relationships of species within
the group have been subject to speculation up until now. Genetic analysis
of the Tragelaphus species, which include the mountain nyala,
bushbuck and greater kudu has recently been conducted by the Smithsonian
Institution. This chart, contributed to the newsletter by a member of
TMF, shows the results of the analysis.
Contrary to what is generally accepted, that the mountain nyala's (T.
buxtoni) closest relatives are the southern nyala and greater kudu,
the data suggests that the closest relatives to the mountain nyala are
the bushbuck (T. scriptus), sitatunga (T. spekii),
and the bongo (T. eurycerus). The results of this analysis
are represented in a phylogenetic tree diagram (Fig.1) which uses an
index from 0 to 100 (weak to strong) to rank the strength of each association.
It should be noted that tissue from the Giant Eland (Tragelaphus
spp.) was not available and is not included in the results. Return to Wildlife Home Page |
