What is a roan antelope?

The roan antelope ( Hippotragus equinus ) is a large African antelope in the family Bovidae. Roan antelopes are reddish-gray to reddish-brown, with a striking black and white facial mask. Both sexes look similar, with males being slightly heavier and having longer, thicker, sickle-shaped horns. Roan antelopes are grazers and browsers that live in lightly wooded savannas, floodplains, and montane grasslands. They are social and territorial animals, with females living in herds of 6–20 plus their offspring. They are part of the tribe Hippotragini, also known as horse antelopes.

Where do roan antelopes live?

The roan antelope ( Hippotragus equinus ) is a large African antelope inhabiting broad-leaved deciduous woodlands in the northern savanna and most of the southern savanna. They are grazers and browsers whose habitat includes lightly wooded savanna, floodplains, and montane grasslands. Roan antelopes were formerly common in West Africa, but settlement and poaching have eliminated them from many areas. They are mysteriously absent from Africa’s eastern miombo woodlands and have become scarce in their southernmost range, especially in South Africa. They survive in or near protected areas such as the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which links Kruger National Park in South Africa with Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe.

What does a roan antelope look like?

The roan antelope is a large, robust African antelope, recognized as one of the most formidable members of the Bovidae family. Both sexes share similar appearances, standing between 126 and 150 cm. However, males are generally heavier, weighing around 280 kg, while females weigh about 260 kg. Roan antelopes get their name from their reddish-gray to reddish-brown coat and a distinctive black-and-white facial mask. Males have thicker, sickle-shaped horns, which can be 10 to 20 percent longer than those of females.

What do roan antelopes eat?

The roan antelope is both a grazer and browser, whose habitat includes lightly wooded savanna, floodplains, and montane grasslands. Most artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) depend on their environment's resources, such as feeding areas not covered by too much snow or shriveled under drought, and the effects of fire or other herbivores on the seasonal succession of vegetation. Various grazing species feed on grass at different heights. Browsers, like the giraffe, feed on the foliage of shrubs and trees, showing more extreme variation in feeding height. In central Africa, the roan antelope favors open areas with taller, ranker perennial grasses and is more or less sedentary within a small area.

How do roan antelopes behave in groups?

Roan antelopes are social and territorial animals. Female roans live in herds typically numbering between 6 and 20 individuals, along with their offspring, though larger herds of 35 or more are becoming less common. These herds exhibit fluid composition, with members frequently joining and leaving; however, those sharing the same home range form a cohesive social unit, often consisting of related individuals, as female offspring tend to establish themselves within their maternal home range. Young males are forced to leave the group and form small bachelor herds until they reach maturity at around six years of age.

What threats do roan antelopes face in the wild?

Roan antelopes face several threats in the wild, primarily due to their habitat preferences and habits. They are vulnerable because they favor open habitats and have sedentary, nonmigratory behaviors. Settlement and poaching have eliminated them from many areas, especially in West Africa, where they were once common. Additionally, young roan antelopes are vulnerable to leopards because they form resting juvenile subgroups that are often left behind when the rest of the herd moves.

roan antelope

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

roan antelope

mammal

Also known as: Hippotragus equinus

Written by

Richard Estes

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Top Questions

What is a roan antelope?
The roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) is a large African antelope in the family Bovidae. Roan antelopes are reddish-gray to reddish-brown, with a striking black and white facial mask. Both sexes look similar, with males being slightly heavier and having longer, thicker, sickle-shaped horns.

Roan antelopes are grazers and browsers that live in lightly wooded savannas, floodplains, and montane grasslands. They are social and territorial animals, with females living in herds of 6–20 plus their offspring. They are part of the tribe Hippotragini, also known as horse antelopes.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where do roan antelopes live?
The roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) is a large African antelope inhabiting broad-leaved deciduous woodlands in the northern savanna and most of the southern savanna. They are grazers and browsers whose habitat includes lightly wooded savanna, floodplains, and montane grasslands.

Roan antelopes were formerly common in West Africa, but settlement and poaching have eliminated them from many areas. They are mysteriously absent from Africa’s eastern miombo woodlands and have become scarce in their southernmost range, especially in South Africa. They survive in or near protected areas such as the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which links Kruger National Park in South Africa with Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What does a roan antelope look like?
The roan antelope is a large, robust African antelope, recognized as one of the most formidable members of the Bovidae family. Both sexes share similar appearances, standing between 126 and 150 cm. However, males are generally heavier, weighing around 280 kg, while females weigh about 260 kg. Roan antelopes get their name from their reddish-gray to reddish-brown coat and a distinctive black-and-white facial mask. Males have thicker, sickle-shaped horns, which can be 10 to 20 percent longer than those of females.
1 Britannica Source
1. roan antelope
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What do roan antelopes eat?
The roan antelope is both a grazer and browser, whose habitat includes lightly wooded savanna, floodplains, and montane grasslands.

Most artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) depend on their environment's resources, such as feeding areas not covered by too much snow or shriveled under drought, and the effects of fire or other herbivores on the seasonal succession of vegetation. Various grazing species feed on grass at different heights. Browsers, like the giraffe, feed on the foliage of shrubs and trees, showing more extreme variation in feeding height.

In central Africa, the roan antelope favors open areas with taller, ranker perennial grasses and is more or less sedentary within a small area.
2 Britannica Sources
1. roan antelope
2. artiodactyl: Food habits
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do roan antelopes behave in groups?
Roan antelopes are social and territorial animals. Female roans live in herds typically numbering between 6 and 20 individuals, along with their offspring, though larger herds of 35 or more are becoming less common. These herds exhibit fluid composition, with members frequently joining and leaving; however, those sharing the same home range form a cohesive social unit, often consisting of related individuals, as female offspring tend to establish themselves within their maternal home range.

Young males are forced to leave the group and form small bachelor herds until they reach maturity at around six years of age.
2 Britannica Sources
1. roan antelope
2. antelope: Appearance and behaviour
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What threats do roan antelopes face in the wild?
Roan antelopes face several threats in the wild, primarily due to their habitat preferences and habits. They are vulnerable because they favor open habitats and have sedentary, nonmigratory behaviors. Settlement and poaching have eliminated them from many areas, especially in West Africa, where they were once common. Additionally, young roan antelopes are vulnerable to leopards because they form resting juvenile subgroups that are often left behind when the rest of the herd moves.
1 Britannica Source
1. roan antelope
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

roan antelope, (Hippotragus equinus), one of the largest and most formidable African antelopes (family Bovidae) and a member of the tribe Hippotragini, the so-called horse antelopes.

The roan is a powerfully built animal with long, sturdy limbs and a thick neck that looks thicker because of an upstanding mane and a beard. The head is long and narrow with a wide gape, framed by long, tasseled ears. Named for its colour, the roan is reddish gray to reddish brown, with a striking black-and-white facial mask. The sexes look much alike, standing 126–150 cm (50–59 inches), but males are heavier (280 kg [620 pounds] versus 260 kg [570 pounds] for females) and have thicker, sickle-shaped horns 55–99 cm (22–39 inches) long, 10–20 percent longer than those of females.

The geographical range of the roan extends across broad-leaved deciduous woodlands in the northern savanna and throughout most of the southern savanna. A grazer and browser whose preferred habitat includes lightly wooded savanna, it also frequents floodplains and montane grasslands. It is mysteriously absent from Africa’s eastern miombo woodlands and has become scarce in its southernmost range (especially in South Africa). Formerly common in West Africa, it has been eliminated from many areas by settlement and poaching. Its preference for relatively open habitat, along with its size and sedentary (nonmigratory) habits, make this species especially vulnerable.

Britannica Quiz

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Like most antelopes, the roan is sociable and territorial. Females live in herds of 6–20 plus their offspring; herds of 35 or more are no longer common. The size of home ranges varies greatly, from as small as 239 hectares (590 acres) at normal density (4 roan per square km) to as large as 100 square km (39 square miles). Males defend territories as small as 100 hectares (247 acres) at normal density. Where roan are few and far between, bulls can accompany female herds that range widely, thereby enjoying a monopoly denied males with territorial neighbours. Herd composition changes from hour to hour as members come and go, but all who share the same home range belong to the same social unit, and perhaps most are related, as female offspring settle in the maternal home range. Males, though, are evicted and forced by territorial males to disperse as subadults; these associate together in small bachelor herds until mature at six years of age. Females breed at two years, calve at three years, and thereafter produce young at roughly 10.5-month intervals (gestation 9–9.5 months). After a 2–3 week hiding stage, calves join the maternal herd, where they associate with other juveniles in creches. Resting juvenile subgroups are often left behind when the rest of the herd moves, making them vulnerable prey for leopards. However, roan have been known to kill lions that failed to overpower them immediately. Their curved horns and a sideways stabbing technique, together with an aggressive temperament, make the roan antelope unusually formidable.

Richard Estes

roan antelope

Thank you for signing up!