Antelopes are hoofed mammals native to the Old World, primarily Africa and Asia, belonging to the family Bovidae. They are grazing and browsing ruminants, encompassing a diverse group of over 135 species, varying in size and adaptations to different ecological niches. Male antelopes typically have horns, and in many species, females do as well. Antelopes are classified into subfamilies and tribes, showing as much difference as cattle, sheep, and goats. They inhabit a range of habitats, and their adaptations vary accordingly. Some are solitary browsers of foliage in closed habitats, while others are gregarious grass-eaters in open environments.

What type of animal is an antelope?

An antelope is any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. They are in the order Artiodactyla. Antelopes account for over two-thirds of the approximately 135 species of hollow-horned ruminants (cud chewers) in the Bovidae family, which also includes cattle, sheep, and goats. Africa is the continent of antelopes, with some 71 species. Taxonomists assign antelopes to three subfamilies and 10 tribes that differ from one another as much as cattle differ from sheep and goats. Antelopes are classified into the subfamilies Bovinae, Cephalophinae, and Antilopinae of the family Bovidae.

Where do most antelopes live in the wild?

Antelopes are primarily found in the Old World, with the majority residing in Africa. Specifically, about 71 species inhabit Africa, while only 14 species are found throughout Asia. Antelopes have adapted to diverse ecological niches , leading to variations in size, shape, and behavior based on their habitats. Antelopes living in closed habitats are mostly small to medium-sized animals adapted for movement through undergrowth. In contrast, antelopes living in open habitats are mostly medium to large grass eaters built for speed.

What do antelopes eat?

Antelopes have adapted to different ecological niches, which influences their diets. Antelopes in closed habitats browse foliage, while those in open habitats primarily graze on grass. As herbivores, antelopes rely on available feeding areas and are affected by environmental conditions like snow cover and drought. Various antelope species exhibit different feeding habits. Some grazing species consume grass at different heights, while browsers eat foliage from shrubs and trees. For example, the roan antelope favors open areas with tall grasses, while the sable antelope prefers savanna woodland edges.

How do antelopes protect themselves from predators?

Antelopes have diverse antipredator strategies based on their habitat. Antelopes in closed habitats are small to medium-sized with camouflaging coloration, favoring concealment. When discovered, they rely on quick bursts of speed and dodging runs to escape predators. Antelopes of open habitats depend on speed, and live in herds. Herding provides protection, as predators often target solitary individuals or those separated from the group. Social facilitation ensures that when one animal flees, the rest follow, reducing individual risk. Some antelopes, such as the roan, are known to kill lions with their horns and aggressive behavior. The klipspringer dwells in rocky terrain where its agility allows it to evade predators.

What are some differences between the various species of antelope?

Antelope species exhibit diversity in size, shape, locomotion, diet, social organization, and antipredator strategies. Antelopes in closed habitats are small to medium-sized, with overdeveloped hindquarters and short legs, suited for quick, bounding escapes from predators. Their coloration is camouflaging, and they live alone or in mated pairs, browsing foliage. Antelopes in open habitats are medium to large grass eaters built for speed, with level backs and equally developed limbs. Their coloration is revealing, and they have a gregarious social organization, with a mating system based on male territoriality. Horns also vary among antelopes. All male antelopes have horns, ranging from short spikes to long, corkscrew shapes. Two-thirds of female antelopes bear horns, which are typically thinner and shorter than those of the males. In gregarious species, where both sexes regularly mix, the horns are similarly shaped. The size and shape of horns can indicate dominance.

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Images & Videos

Illustration showing seven different male antelope species, including gerenuk, impala, Thomson's gazelle, common eland, saiga, suni, and blackbuck, each labeled with their scientific names and depicted in natural poses on grass.

Line drawing comparing horn shapes and lengths in six African antelope species: giant sable antelope, greater kudu, bohor reedbuck, oribi, dibatag, and hartebeest, each labeled by name.

How do dik-diks behave in their natural habitat?

The saiga antelope's struggle for survival

At a Glance

antelope summary

Quick Facts

Related Topics:: gazelle; eland; reedbuck; kudu; Tragelaphini

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Richard Estes

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Oct. 22, 2026 •History

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Antelope collagen found in 60,000-year-old ochre offers clues to early human practices • Oct. 21, 2026, 10:20 AM ET (Phys.org)

Top Questions

What is an antelope?
Antelopes are hoofed mammals native to the Old World, primarily Africa and Asia, belonging to the family Bovidae. They are grazing and browsing ruminants, encompassing a diverse group of over 135 species, varying in size and adaptations to different ecological niches. Male antelopes typically have horns, and in many species, females do as well. Antelopes are classified into subfamilies and tribes, showing as much difference as cattle, sheep, and goats. They inhabit a range of habitats, and their adaptations vary accordingly. Some are solitary browsers of foliage in closed habitats, while others are gregarious grass-eaters in open environments.
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Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What type of animal is an antelope?
An antelope is any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. They are in the order Artiodactyla. Antelopes account for over two-thirds of the approximately 135 species of hollow-horned ruminants (cud chewers) in the Bovidae family, which also includes cattle, sheep, and goats. Africa is the continent of antelopes, with some 71 species.

Taxonomists assign antelopes to three subfamilies and 10 tribes that differ from one another as much as cattle differ from sheep and goats. Antelopes are classified into the subfamilies Bovinae, Cephalophinae, and Antilopinae of the family Bovidae.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where do most antelopes live in the wild?
Antelopes are primarily found in the Old World, with the majority residing in Africa. Specifically, about 71 species inhabit Africa, while only 14 species are found throughout Asia.

Antelopes have adapted to diverse ecological niches, leading to variations in size, shape, and behavior based on their habitats. Antelopes living in closed habitats are mostly small to medium-sized animals adapted for movement through undergrowth. In contrast, antelopes living in open habitats are mostly medium to large grass eaters built for speed.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What do antelopes eat?
Antelopes have adapted to different ecological niches, which influences their diets. Antelopes in closed habitats browse foliage, while those in open habitats primarily graze on grass. As herbivores, antelopes rely on available feeding areas and are affected by environmental conditions like snow cover and drought.

Various antelope species exhibit different feeding habits. Some grazing species consume grass at different heights, while browsers eat foliage from shrubs and trees. For example, the roan antelope favors open areas with tall grasses, while the sable antelope prefers savanna woodland edges.
2 Britannica Sources
1. artiodactyl: Food habits
2. antelope: Appearance and behaviour
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do antelopes protect themselves from predators?
Antelopes have diverse antipredator strategies based on their habitat. Antelopes in closed habitats are small to medium-sized with camouflaging coloration, favoring concealment. When discovered, they rely on quick bursts of speed and dodging runs to escape predators.

Antelopes of open habitats depend on speed, and live in herds. Herding provides protection, as predators often target solitary individuals or those separated from the group. Social facilitation ensures that when one animal flees, the rest follow, reducing individual risk. Some antelopes, such as the roan, are known to kill lions with their horns and aggressive behavior. The klipspringer dwells in rocky terrain where its agility allows it to evade predators.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some differences between the various species of antelope?
Antelope species exhibit diversity in size, shape, locomotion, diet, social organization, and antipredator strategies. Antelopes in closed habitats are small to medium-sized, with overdeveloped hindquarters and short legs, suited for quick, bounding escapes from predators. Their coloration is camouflaging, and they live alone or in mated pairs, browsing foliage.

Antelopes in open habitats are medium to large grass eaters built for speed, with level backs and equally developed limbs. Their coloration is revealing, and they have a gregarious social organization, with a mating system based on male territoriality.

Horns also vary among antelopes. All male antelopes have horns, ranging from short spikes to long, corkscrew shapes. Two-thirds of female antelopes bear horns, which are typically thinner and shorter than those of the males. In gregarious species, where both sexes regularly mix, the horns are similarly shaped. The size and shape of horns can indicate dominance.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

antelope, any of more than 90 species of Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). Antelopes account for over two-thirds of the approximately 135 species of hollow-horned ruminants (cud chewers) in the family Bovidae, which also includes cattle, sheep, and goats. One antelope, the Indian blackbuck, bears the Latin name Antilope cervicapra; nevertheless, antelope is not a taxonomic name but a catchall term for an astonishing variety of ruminating ungulates ranging in size from the diminutive royal antelope (2 kg [4 pounds]) to the giant eland (1,000 kg [2,200 pounds]). (The North American pronghorn antelope looks and acts much like a gazelle but belongs in a separate family, the Antilocapridae.) Africa, with some 71 species, is the continent of antelopes. Only 14 species inhabit the entire continent of Asia, and all but three of them are members of the gazelle tribe (Antilopini).

Appearance and behaviour

Zebra duikeZebra duiker (*Cephalophus zebra*).

As in all of Bovidae, all male antelopes have horns, which range from the short spikes of duikers to the corkscrew horns (more than 160 cm [63 inches] long) of the greater kudu. Two-thirds of female antelopes bear horns; they are invariably thinner and usually shorter than those of the male. In gregarious species in which both sexes regularly associate in mixed herds, the horns are similarly shaped, and in female oryxes and elands they are often longer.

Antelopes have adapted to many different ecological niches and so vary in their size, shape, locomotion, diet, social organization, and antipredator strategy. Despite the diversity of adaptations, one important generalization can be made: there is a marked difference between antelopes of closed habitats and those of open habitats. The former (e.g., duikers, reedbucks, and bushbucks) are mostly small to medium-sized animals adapted for movement through undergrowth, with overdeveloped hindquarters, a rounded back, and short legs. This conformation is adapted to quick starts and a bounding, dodging run, which is how cover-dependent antelopes whose first line of defense is concealment try to escape predators that chance to find them. Their coloration is camouflaging. They are solitary, living alone or in mated pairs on home ranges defended as territories, and they are browsers of foliage rather than grazers of grass. By contrast, antelopes of open habitats are mostly medium to large grass eaters. They are built for speed, having level backs with long, equally developed limbs (or with higher shoulders, as in the hartebeest tribe). Their coloration is revealing. They have a gregarious social organization and a mating system based on male territoriality (except in the kudu tribe).

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Classification

Taxonomists assign antelopes to three subfamilies and 10 tribes that differ from one another as much as cattle (tribe Bovini) differ from sheep and goats (tribe Caprini). Yet antelopes are linked to both cattle and goats: the spiral-horned antelopes (tribe Tragelaphini, which includes the oxlike eland), are placed in the subfamily Bovinae together with cattle and the tribe Boselaphini, which includes the big nilgai and the little four-horned antelope. Although gazelles and their allies (including the blackbuck) are placed in a different subfamily (Antilopinae) from sheep and goats (Caprinae), several Asian bovids that look and behave like antelopes have been shown by DNA evidence to be caprines, notably the chiru, or Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsoni), while three species, the Mongolian gazelle, the Tibetan gazelle, and Przewalski’s gazelle, were placed in the genus Procapra for their caprine affinities.

Antelopes are classified into the following subfamilies and tribes of the family Bovidae:

Tribe Aepycerotini (impalas)
Subfamily Bovinae
Also includes cattle tribe Bovini.
- Tribe Tragelaphini (spiral-horned antelopes, including kudus, elands, nyalas, and bushbucks)
- Tribe Boselaphini (includes the nilgai and the four-horned antelope)
Subfamily Cephalophinae
- Tribe Cephalophini (duikers)
Subfamily Antilopinae
- Tribe Neotragini (dwarf antelopes, including royal antelopes, klipspringers, oribis, and dik-diks)
- Tribe Antilopini (includes gazelles and the springbok, gerenuk, and blackbuck)
- Tribe Hippotragini (horse antelopes, including roan antelopes, sable antelopes, oryxes, and addaxes)
- Tribe Reduncini (includes reedbucks, kobs, lechwes, and waterbucks)
- Tribe Alcelaphini (includes hartebeests, wildebeests, and topis)

Richard Estes

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Classification