ANTELOPE and the leaves of thorny bushes. They and others grip food between the lower cutting teeth and a hard pad in the upper jaw, tear it off, then swallow. Later it is regurgitated from the multi- chambered stomach and thoroughly chewed using a rhythmic sideways motion. This ensures maximum absorption of nutrients locked up in giant cellulose molecules. Deficiencies in essential minerals and salts are overcome by eating soil. The variety of antelope is impressive: the majestic Giant eland is the largest living species ( weighing up to 900kg) and the Royal the smallest ( a mere 2kg). Many antelope are on the endangered or critical lists, including the hirola ( the rarest antelope), the Western hartebeest, Giant sable, Addax and Scimitar-horned oryx. All the gazelles, gerenuk, dibatag, Mountain nyala and duikers, which are hunted throughout Africa for bush- meat, are also under threat. Very serious population declines have been noted in all four lechwe species and only rigid protection has saved the bontebok from annihilation. Grazers and Browsers Some antelope, such as bongo and nyala, browse bushes and trees; others, for example puku and kob, graze the grasslands. There are a few ( including impala, steenbok, Cape grysbok and Beisa oryx) who can switch between the two if need be, but most find the chemical and nutritional differences between grasses and broad-leaved plants too great. The belief that the reactive build-up of tannin in a browsed mopane tree causes a kudu to move on is unfounded, for the toxic process takes too long to have that affect. Gerenuk and dibatag, with their extraordinarily elongated necks and legs, are able to 129 msafiri watch. From the elusive hirola to ubiquitous impala, we celebrate Africa's most elegant mammals. LEFT TO RIGHT: Greater kudu, bushbuck, gerenuk, Grant's gazelle, topi, Damara dik- dik, Scimitar-horned oryx, bongo. ( left to right): Ingrid van den Berg/ HPH Photography; Nigel Dennis/ AfricaImagery. com; Ariadne van Zandbergen; Jonathan & Angela Scott; anup shah/ nature picture library; Ingrid van den Berg/ HPH Photography; Ariadne van Zandbergen; Ingrid van den Berg/ HPH Photography

msafiri WILDLIFE 130 crop at a higher level than most other browsers and are therefore less susceptible to competition for food. Among the grazers, oryx and addax can go for months without drinking. By lying down or standing in shade during the day, and by pumping heart- bound blood via an elaborate network of nasal vessels to cool it, gemsbok and Damara dik- dik reduce heat build-up and moisture loss through evaporation. Then, by eating at night after the dew has fallen and by digging up roots and Tsama melons, they, springbok and steenbok can acquire sufficient moisture to survive in the Kalahari. Klipspringer, suni, oribi and Grey rhebok can also live without drinking as long as they have greenery to eat. In contrast, sitatunga and puku are heavily dependent on water for both sustenance and safety from predators. Many antelope prefer brackish water as it helps to keep the rumens ( the first stomach compartment) functioning. Making Sense of it All Antelope use all five senses and probably the sixth as well. In touching, for example, courting couples lick and caress, calves butt to stimulate a mother's milk and she, in turn, nudges her offspring to prompt the excretion of waste. They also " talk" to each other, as reaction to the explosive snorts of the impala, the piercing whistle of the klipspringer, the echoing bark of the bushbuck and the foot- stomping of the Black wildebeest — all danger signals — will testify. However, why eland click their heels while walking remains a mystery. It is probably the antelopes' ability to discriminate between hundreds of different odours, many beyond our nostrils, that is most important. Critical in predator detection, it is also employed in mother- offspring bonding, in locating and selecting food or a mate and in navigating. Bodily odours given off are individual and species- specific, as the distinctive niff of the sable and the lingering goat- like smell of the waterbuck will testify. The scent emitted by the suni is so pungent that it's sometimes called the " musk antelope". All antelope have scent glands, sometimes several different ones. The Blue duiker has them in front of the eyes, the steenbok tucks them under the chin, the impala hides them under black tufts on the back legs, the sable carries them between his hoofs, the Grey rhebok has them in the groin and Springbok It is the antelopes' ability to discrimi-nate between hundreds of different odours, many beyond our nostrils, that is most important