Information about: Antelope

Index | Antelope


Note: Information is dated. Do not rely on it.

Antelope. In zoology, a genus of ruminating mammals, belonging to the hollow-horned family, and distinguished by the round, annulated form of their horns, which are unbranched, and by the grace and symmetry of their proportions. Externally, they very much resemble deer, from which, however, they are to be distinguished by various points of structure, such as the horns, which in the deer are solid and branched. Generally speaking, antelopes are gregarious, and unite in large flocks or herds. Africa may be considered the headquarters of the antelope. The species are numerous, and include the spring bok. hartebeest, gnu, eland, and gazelle, among others. The prong-horned antelope is found only in North America, and, although there is but a single species, the zoologists have separated it into a separate family, Antilocapridae. Two characteristics which distinguish it from other antelopes are the absence of dew claws, and the horns which are pronged and are shed every year.