Mountain Nyala

Mountain Nyala
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Bovinae
Genus:	Tragelaphus
Species:	T. buxtoni
Binomial name
Tragelaphus buxtoni (Lydekker, 1910)

The Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) found in Oromia, Ethiopia as gadumsa, is an antelope found in high altitude woodland in a small part of central Ethiopia. Mountain Nyala were named for their similarity to the Nyala but they are now considered closer relatives of the Kudu.

Mountain Nyala stand around a metre at the shoulder and weigh 150 to 300 kilograms, males being considerably larger than females. Mountain Nyala have grey-brown coats sometimes with poorly defined white stripes and splotches, their coats darken as they age, the underside is lighter than the rest of the coat. Males have horns which twist one or two times and average slightly less than a metre in length.

Mountain Nyala are endemic to the Ethiopian highlands southeast of the Rift Valley, between 6°N and 10°N. Their former range was from Mount Gara Muleta in the east to Shashamene and the northern Bale Zone to the south; currently, the main area of distribution is the Bale Mountains National Park. Within this range, the Mountain Nyala prefer woodland, heath, and scrub at altitudes of at least 2000 metres above sea level sometimes wandering as high as 4000 metres. Mountain Nyala mainly eat herbs and shrubs. Mountain Nyala live in groups of about four to six animals sometimes ranging to thirteen and occasionally more, these groups are mainly females and calves often with one old male.

There are about 2500 Mountain Nyala in existence, which are threatened primarily by the encroachment of too many people in their habitat.

References

1. ^ Sillero-Zubiri, C. (2008). Tragelaphus buxtoni. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 March 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of endangered.