Kobus vardonii

Geographic Range

Kobus vardonii , commonly refered to as puku, are primarily found south of the Equator between 0 and 20 degrees and between 20 and 40 degrees east of the Prime Meridian. Recent research described puku as being found in Angola, Botswana, Katanga, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. Populations were estimated at 54,600 Puku within Tanzania and 21,000 in Zambia. Nearly two-thirds live in the Kilombero Valley of Tanzania. Other countries in which they exist have much smaller populations. In Botswana there are less than 100 remaining, and their numbers are falling. Due to dimishing habitat, many puku have been relocated into national parks; nearly one-third of their population is now located in protected areas.

• Biogeographic Regions
• ethiopian ethiopian
  • native native

Habitat

Puku are found in grasslands, savannas, and river floodplains. Seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation influence mating and movements of pukus. For example, in wet seasons populations tend to move to higher elevations due to flooding. During dry seasons they remain near watercourses.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland

• Other Habitat Features
• riparian riparian

Physical Description

Puku are a medium-sized antelopes. Their fur is approximately 32 mm in length, with varying colors. The majority of their fur is golden yellow, the forehead is browner in color than elsewhere on the body and they have white fur near the eyes and under the belly, neck, and upper lip. Their tails have long hairs towards the tip and lack of bushiness. This distinguishes K. vardonii from other, similar antelope species.

Puku are sexually dimorphic. Males have horns and the females do not. The horns are lyre-shaped and strongly ridged for two-thirds of their length and smooth towards the tips. Females are also significantly smaller in mass, weighing an average of 66 kg, while males weigh an average of 77 kg. Puku have small face glands. Territorial males have significantly larger neck girths on average than bachelor males. Territorial and bachelor males can be identified by glandular secretions on the neck. Territorial males excrete more hormones from their neck than bachelor males. Territorial males use their glandular secretions to spread their scent over their territory. This scent warns other males that they are intruding on anothers territory. Neck patches do not appear in territorial males until they have already established their territories. Neck patches only appear between the months of May and November. Puku also have well-developed inguinal pouches that are 40 to 80mm deep.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• male larger
• ornamentation ornamentation

Reproduction

Puku breed year round but are more sexually active after the first heavy rains of the wet season. Territorial males are polygynous and herd females into their territories. But there is evidence that females choose their mates. Occasionally bachelor males are tolerated as long as they do not show any sexual interest in the females.

• Mating System
• polygynous polygynous

The reproductive season is closely matched to seasonal variation, however puku can breed year-round. Most mating occurs between the months of May and September to ensure that offspring are born during the wet season. The amount of rainfall during this season varies between years; most calves are born from January to April, since forage is most abundant at this time. The typical number of offspring per female per breeding season is one. Offspring are difficult to locate because they are "hiders," meaning that females leave them on their own in a hidden place rather than travel with them. The wet season provides high quality forage for females to support their lactation and heavy vegetation helps provide cover for hidden calves.

Puku gestation lasts 8 months and they generally give birth to a single offspring. Puku wean after 6 months and reach sexual maturity at 12 to 14 months. Older calves come out of hiding and join the herd.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• year-round breeding year-round breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• viviparous viviparous

Females do not have a strong bond with their young. They rarely defend their young or address the high-pitched bleating a calf may produce when calling for help. Calves wean at approximately 6 months.

• Parental Investment
• precocial precocial
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Kobus varondii individuals have been estimated to live up to 17 years in the wild.

Behavior

Territorial males are found on their own. Bachelor males are found in male-only herds. Females tend to found in groups of 6 to 20. Female herds are unstable because members constantly change groups. Groups travel, eat and sleep together. Territorial males maintain their territories throughout the year. In order to protect their territoy, these solitary males emit 3 to 4 whistles to warn other males to keep away. This whistle is also used as a way to advertise to females. Puku feed early in the morning and again late in the afternoon

• Key Behaviors
• cursorial
• terricolous
• diurnal diurnal
• crepuscular crepuscular
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• solitary solitary
• territorial territorial
• social social

Home Range

Territory size depends on the number of territorial males in the area and the availability of suitable habitat resources.

Communication and Perception

Puku communicate primarily by whistling. Regardless of sex or age, they whistle to alarm others of incoming predators. Young puku whistle to gain the attention of their mother.

Territorial males rub their horns on the grass to saturate the grass with their neck secretions. These secretions warn rival males that they are in another male's territory. If a bachelor male is on a territorial male's area, then the bachelor male is chased away. If it is another territorial male, then the owner of the property uses visual communication by rapidly wagging its tale in an attempt to scare the other male away. If the opposing male does not flee, a fight ensues. Males fight with their horns. Horn clashing occurs between two males in a battle for territory. The winner gets to keep the territory. Significantly more face-offs occur between two territorial males than between territorial males and bachelor males. Chases usually occur between territorial and bachelor males. These chases occur even if the bachelor male does not show any aggressive behavior towards the territorial male.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• scent marks scent marks

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Puku prefer plants containing high crude protein value. They eat a wide variety of perennial grasses which varies by season. Eragrostis rigidior is the primary grass eaten because is has a high amount of crude protein. After the grass has matured, the amount of crude protein is reduced and puku resort to other plants for protein. During March, 92% of their diet is from Brachiaria latifolia , but this is to make up for the lack of E. rigidior. Brachiaria latifolia has roughly 5% crude protein. Puku eat more Digitaria setivalva than other antelopes, this grass species has high protein content but low crude fiber.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • folivore folivore

• Plant Foods
• leaves

Predation

If threatened, puku emit a repeated whistle which is used to warn others. Aside from natural predation from leopards and lions, puku are also in danger of humans. Humans cause unsustainable hunting and habitat loss. Grasslands that puku prefer are increasingly invaded by livestock and human settlement each year.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• aposematic aposematic

Ecosystem Roles

Puku are part of a grazing fauna that is important in structuring grassland communities and supporting populations of large predators, such as lions and leopards, and scavengers, such as vultures and hyaenas.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Puku are considered a game animal. They are killed for food and hides. They can also be a tourist attraction.

• Positive Impacts
• food food
• body parts are source of valuable material
• ecotourism ecotourism

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no recognized negative impacts on humans from puku.

Conservation Status

Puku are currently listed as near threatened because populations are considered stable and are not under immediate threat. Their survival depends on several fragmented populations. Puku have to compete with cattle for forage and populations suffer when habitats are modified for agriculture and grazing.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Catlin Francis (author), Radford University, Zack Neitzey (author), Radford University, Joel Hagen (editor), Radford University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

References

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