oribi
-
What is an oribi?
The oribi (Ourebia ourebi) is a small, swift African antelope, resembling a gazelle, and is part of the dwarf antelopes (tribe Neotragini, family Bovidae). They live in the savannas of Africa, in pairs or small herds.
Oribis have a slender build, with long limbs and necks. They stand roughly 51–76 cm (20–30 inches) tall and weigh about 14 kg (31 pounds). Their coat is short, sleek, and tan to reddish-brown, with white underparts, rump, throat, and ear insides, and a white line over their eyes. They are dependent on tall grass for food and cover, which restricts their habitat to higher-rainfall areas.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where do oribis live?
The oribi is a small, swift African antelope that inhabits Africa’s northern and southern savannas, living in pairs or small herds.
Oribis are dependent on tall grass for cover and food, which limits their geographic range to higher-rainfall zones. They can be found in the northern savanna from Senegal to Ethiopia, in the coastal hinterland of East Africa into Tanzania, and as isolated populations in south-central and southeastern Africa southward to Cape Province.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What does an oribi eat?
The oribi is both a grazer and browser. When available, it eats palatable green grass, but it will also consume foliage, herbs, and forbs when green grass is not available. They also visit mineral licks and lawns of short grass created by larger ruminants. They can derive enough water from food, making them water-independent.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How does an oribi protect itself from predators?
The oribi, a small African antelope, relies on tall grass for cover, which limits its habitat to higher-rainfall zones. When alarmed, oribis dash away in a zigzag, bounding run at 25–30 miles per hour. Adults also hide from predators. They have an extended breeding season with birth peaks in the rains. Newborns are dark brown and remain hidden for a month, developing very rapidly, reaching adult size by one year.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some unique features of oribis compared to other antelopes?
The oribi is a small, swift African antelope, noted as the most gazelle-like of the dwarf antelopes. Oribis have a slender build, long limbs and necks, and prominent ears. Males have erect, spikelike horns.
Unique features of oribis:
* They are the only dwarf antelope and possibly the smallest ruminant that eats foliage, herbs, and forbs when green grass isn't available.
* Oribis are water-independent, deriving sufficient water from their food.
* They demarcate territories with dung middens, a ritual initiated by the female.
* In Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, two or three adult males may jointly defend a territory.1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How do oribis help maintain a healthy ecosystem?
Oribis, small African antelopes, contribute to a healthy ecosystem by influencing vegetation and nutrient distribution. As grazers and browsers, they feed on grasses, foliage, herbs, and forbs, which can help maintain plant diversity and prevent any single plant species from dominating. Oribis also visit mineral licks and areas with new vegetation growth after fires, which can attract other animals and promote biodiversity.
Additionally, their territorial behavior, including the use of dung middens, helps recycle nutrients back into the soil. Though typically found in pairs, they sometimes form larger groups, especially when fires remove cover, which can affect grazing patterns and vegetation regrowth.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
oribi, (Ourebia ourebi), small, swift African antelope, the most gazelle-like of the dwarf antelopes (tribe Neotragini, family Bovidae). It inhabits Africa’s northern and southern savannas, living in pairs or small herds.
The oribi has a slender build and is long-limbed and long-necked. It stands 51–76 cm (20–30 inches) high and weighs about 14 kg (31 pounds); females are slightly larger than males. It has prominent ears, and the males have erect, spikelike horns 8–19 cm (3–7 inches) long. The coat is short, sleek, and tan to bright reddish brown. It has white underparts, rump, throat, and ear insides, as well as a white line over its eye. It has a bare black glandular spot below each ear and a stubby black tail. The oribi’s colour varies with its location.
The oribi is dependent on tall grass for cover and food, in effect limiting its geographic range to higher-rainfall zones. It occurs in the northern savanna from Senegal to Ethiopia, in the coastal hinterland of East Africa into Tanzania, and as isolated populations in south-central and southeastern Africa southward to Cape Province.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
The oribi is the only dwarf antelope and perhaps the smallest ruminant—that is, a grazer, or rather a grazer and a browser, as it eats foliage, herbs, and forbs when palatable green grass is unavailable. It derives sufficient water from its food to be water-independent. Oribis leave their territories to visit mineral licks, lawns of short grass created by larger ruminants, and postburn flushes of vegetation during the dry season. A number of oribis may thus gather on neutral ground. When annual fires remove all cover, loose herds of up to a dozen form, but, lacking the cohesion of sociable species, the members scatter in all directions when put to flight.
Both members of a pair defend territories of 30–100 hectares (75–250 acres) against same-gender intruders and demarcate property with dung middens in a ritual initiated by the female, whose elimination posture featuring the upraised black tail pompon attracts her mate and other family members. The male marks over the others’ deposits. He also spends much of his time patrolling and marking the territory’s boundaries by daubing the tarlike secretions of his large preorbital glands on grass stems, which are often prepared by biting off seed heads. Family members communicate with softer versions of the whistling alarm snort and with the odours from their battery of scent glands (inguinal, hoof, shin, and preorbital).
Although oribis are typically found in conventional mated pairs, novel polygamous variations on the monogamous and territorial theme have been observed. Up to half of oribi territories in an area may include two or more resident females; the other females are often, but not always, stay-at-home daughters. Much more unusual, and unknown in other dwarf antelopes, in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park two or three adult males may jointly defend a territory. They do not do so as equals: the arrangement involves a territory owner who tolerates subordinate males. He does not gain extra females and is sometimes cuckolded by the subordinates, but cooperative defense does extend territorial tenure.
Oribis have an extended breeding season with birth peaks in the rains. Gestation is about seven months; newborns are dark brown, remain hidden for a month, and develop very rapidly, reaching adult size by one year. Adults too hide from predators. When flushed, they dash away in a zigzag, bounding run at 40–50 km (25–30 miles) per hour.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
