Lechwe

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Species of mammal

title: "Lechwe" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["marsh-antelopes", "mammals-of-sub-saharan-africa", "mammals-of-central-africa", "mammals-of-angola", "mammals-of-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo", "mammals-of-namibia", "mammals-of-zambia", "mammals-described-in-1850", "taxa-named-by-john-edward-gray"] description: "Species of mammal" topic_path: "general/marsh-antelopes" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lechwe" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of mammal ::

| name = Lechwe | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | status2 = CITES_A2 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = | image = Red lechwe (Kobus leche leche) male.jpg | image_caption = male K. l. leche Nkasa Rupara National Park, Namibia | taxon = Kobus leche | authority = Gray, 1850 | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = * Kobus leche leche

The lechwe, red lechwe, or southern lechwe (Kobus leche) is an antelope found in wetlands of south-central Africa.

Range

The lechwe is native to Botswana, Zambia, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northeastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the Okavango Delta, Kafue Flats, and Bangweulu Wetlands. The species is fairly common in zoos and wild animal farms.

Description

Adult lechwe typically stand 90 to at the shoulder and generally weigh from 50 to, with males being larger than females. They are golden brown with white bellies. Males are darker in colour, but exact hue and amount of blackish on the front legs, chest and body varies depending on subspecies. The long, spiral horns are vaguely lyre-shaped and borne only by males. The hind legs are somewhat longer in proportion than in other antelopes to ease long-distance running on marshy soil.

File:Red Lechwe in the Okavango.jpg|Adult red lechwes in the Okavango Delta, Botswana File:Leaping Lechwe.jpg|alt=Female red lechwe runningOkavango Delta, Botswana|Female red lechwe, Okavango Delta File:Red lechwe (Kobus leche leche) juvenile.jpg|alt=Juvenile red lechweOkavango Delta, Botswana|Juvenile red lechwe, Okavango Delta File:Red lechwe (Kobus leche leche) males fighting, composite.jpg|alt=Males red lechwes flightingOkavango Delta, Botswana|Male red lechwes fighting, Okavango Delta

Habitats

Lechwe are found in marshy areas where they are an important herbivore of aquatic plants, as well as grasses that are found in flooded meadows. They use the knee-deep water as protection from predators. Their legs are covered in a water-repellant substance which allows them to run quite fast in knee-deep water. Lechwe are diurnal. They gather in herds which can include many thousands of individuals. Herds are usually all of one sex, but during mating season they mix.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Kob_Antelope.jpg" caption="Kafue lechwes (''K. l. kafuensis'') where the male has more black to the front legs and chest than the red and Upemba lechwes, but less than the black lechwe that also has some blackish to the side of the body"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Kobus_leche_smithemani_44223157.jpg" caption="Black lechwe (''K. l. smithemani'')"] ::

Four subspecies of the lechwe have been recognized.

In addition, the Upemba lechwe (Kobus anselli) and the extinct Cape lechwe (Kobus venterae) are also considered subspecies by some authorities (as Kobus leche anselli and Kobus leche venterae).

Although related and sharing the name "lechwe", the Nile lechwe (K. megaceros) is consistently recognized as a separate species.

Reproduction

Lechwe mate during rain seasons of November to February. They have a gestation period of seven to eight months so a majority of calves are born from July to September. Although rare, hybrids between lechwe and waterbuck have been observed.

References

References

  1. IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group. (2017). "''Kobus leche''".
  2. "Appendices {{!}} CITES".
  3. (29 July 2020). "Impacts on freshwater macrophytes produced by small invertebrate herbivores: Afrotropical and Neotropical wetlands compared". Hydrobiologia.
  4. "Kobus leche (Lechwe)".
  5. Windhoek, UrbanCamp net {{!}} Camping {{!}} Leisure {{!}}. "Lechwe".
  6. (1997). "Lekking, resource defense, and harassment in two subspecies of lechwe antelope". Behavioral Ecology.
  7. {{MSW3
  8. (2011). "Ungulate Taxonomy". Johns Hopkins University Press.
  9. IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group. (2017). "''Kobus leche'' ssp. ''anselli''".
  10. (1983). "The Hunters Or the Hunted?: An Introduction to African Cave Taphonomy". American Bar Foundation.
  11. Newell, T. 1999. "Kobus leche" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 06, 2020 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Kobus_leche/
  12. (19 May 2016). "Antelope hybrid in the wilds of northern Botswana".

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marsh-antelopesmammals-of-sub-saharan-africamammals-of-central-africamammals-of-angolamammals-of-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congomammals-of-namibiamammals-of-zambiamammals-described-in-1850taxa-named-by-john-edward-gray