What do antelopes do?

What do antelopes do?

Antelope are herbivores, with an odd exception: some duiker species have been known to kill and eat insects, small mammals, and birds. Otherwise, antelope tend to browse on bushes and smaller trees or graze on grass.

What are antelope horns used for?

Most antelopes use their speed to escape predators rather than staying to fight them. Even males of most horned species of antelope and deer use their horns for male-male combat rather than predator defense.

How do antelope use their senses?

Senses: Antelopes rely on their keen senses to avoid predators. Their senses of smell and hearing are also acute, giving them the ability to perceive danger while out in the open where predators often prowl after dark. Horns: Both sexes of most antelope species grow horns, though the males’ horns are generally larger.

How do antelopes move?

Antelopes have powerful hindquarters and, when startled, run with a peculiar bounding stride that makes them look as though they are bouncing over the terrain like a giant rabbit. Some species of antelope can reach speeds of 60 miles (100 kilometers) per hour, making them among the fastest of land animals.

What are antelopes for kids?

Antelope are in the bovine family. They are related to cows, sheep and goats. More than 90 species of antelope live in Africa and Asia….Fun Facts about Antelope for Kids

• Antelope are herbivores.
• They’re smart.
• Antelopes have hooves made for their habitat.
• Duikers antelope sometimes eat bugs or even small birds.

How are antelopes adapted to their habitat?

Lesson Summary Addax antelopes have adaptations to help them survive in the desert, like splayed hooves to help them walk in the sand and the ability to get all the water they need from the grasses they eat.

Can antelopes swim?

They have small home ranges close to water and, when threatened by land-based predators, will submerge in water up to the level of their nostrils. Sitatunga have splayed hooves that improve swimming ability and enable them to walk on floating islands of vegetation (Kingdon, 1977).

How does living in herds help the antelope survive?

Antelopes use horns for fight against other antelopes during mating season and to protect themselves, or the herd, from the predators. They live in the large groups called herds. Antelopes have extremely developed senses which help them detect predators while they still have time to escape.

What are animals that seem mythical but are real?

Check out these amazingly unique animals who seem almost mythical in nature.

• Okapi. Wikimedia Commons.
• Saiga antelope. Seilov/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• Narwhal. Wikimedia Commons/Felix Stember.
• Streaked tenrec. Flickr/Cliff.
• Superb bird of paradise. Flickr/Natasha Baucas.
• Thorny devil.
• Vampire deer.
• Glaucus atlanticus.

What kind of food does an antelope eat?

Diet of the Antelope Almost all antelope species are herbivores, eating only plant material. However, some Duiker species have been reported to eat insects, birds, and small mammals. Antelope and Human Interaction

Why is the Antelope important to African culture?

The antelope is an animal that has played an important role in human medicine and culture. In some African traditions, it is commonly associated with the wind. The antelope’s horns are composed of keratin.

Why are some species of antelope hunted for their horns?

Many antelope species are hunted for their horns, meat, and skin, though desirability of species for these purposes vary enormously. As a result, one species of antelope that is hunted in one country may be protected in another. Some species, such as the Saiga, are poached for their horns for use in Asian alternative medicines.

What kind of protection does an antelope have?

Large antelope that gather in large herds, such as wildebeest, rely on numbers and running speed for protection. In some species, adults will encircle the offspring, protecting them from predators when threatened. Many forest antelope rely on cryptic coloring and good hearing to avoid predators.