Antelope

Antelope, a term of wide signification, denoting any species of the Linnaean genus Antilope, now broken up into several distinct genera, and sometimes grouped into a family (Antilopidae), but more generally placed with the sheep, goats, and oxen in the family Bovidae, equivalent to the Cavicornia, or hollow-horned division of the Ruminants (q.v.), in which the horns are permanent, and consist of thin sheaths surrounding bony processes of the skull (known as horn-cores), almost solid in the antelopes, while in the other members of the group they are occupied with cells. Horns are often present in antelopes of both sexes, and are generally round, or annulated, never exhibiting the prominent angles and ridges which distinguish those of the sheep and goats, but in their particular forms and curvatures they differ greatly in different genera. Antelopes are characterised by their graceful, deer-like forms, their long and slender legs, generally with supplementary hoofs behind the true hoofs; tail usually short, hair short and smooth, and ordinarily of equal length all over the body, though in some cases there is a long bristly mane on the neck and shoulders, and in others the hair is long and shaggy, as in the waterbuck, while forms from cold mountainous regions bear wool mixed with long coarse hair. Tear-pits, or lachrymal sinuses, are generally present, as in the deer (q.v.), thus differentiating the antelopes from oxen, sheep, and goats, in which these organs are never found, and with which the antelopes are most likely to be confounded. Another characteristic is the possession of inguinal pores - deep folds of the skin opening inwards in the groin, and secreting a glutinous substance resembling ear-wax; a beard or dewlap is rarely present. These animals differ greatly in size, an eland bull standing six feet at the shoulder, while the guevei is only some eight or nine inches; but nearly all peaceable, even timid animals, remarkable for fleetness and agility. Generally speaking they are gregarious; some species, however, reside in pairs or small families consisting of an old male, and one or more females, with the young of the two preceding years. They place sentinels to warn them of the approach of danger while feeding or reposing, and their sight and smell are so acute that only by the exercise of the greatest caution can the hunter approach within gunshot. The habitat of the different genera and species differs widely in character. Some frequent dry, sandy deserts, feeding on the stunted acacias and bulbous plants of such regions; some prefer open stony plains, where the grass, though parched, is still sufficient for their subsistence; some inhabit lofty mountain ranges and leap from crag to crag like wild goats, while others are found in the deep recesses of tropical forests. Africa, particularly the southern region, is their peculiar home. In that continent are found the Eland, the Koodoo, the Addax, the Oryx, the Gnu, the Bubaline antelopes, the Hartebeest, the Springbok, the Steinbok, the Gazelle, the Nakong, and many others which will be found described under their popular names. Asia has some fifteen species, including the Nylghau, the Sasin, often called "the Antelope," the Dzeren, the Chikara, etc.; Europe has two species, the Chamois and the Saiga (which extends into Asia); and America two, the Prong-horn and the Rocky Mountain Sheep.