Wildlife Africa- Sable Behavior

HABITAT	Dense wooded savanna and tall grass, are the ideal Sable's habitat.
HABITS	Sable antelope are gregarious animals and congregate in herds of up to 40 individuals. Like their cousins, the Roan Antelope, Sable have a very similar social structure. There is only one adult bull in each herd, juvenile males are also evicted at the age of 3 years and form "bachelor groups" where they remain for about 2 or 3 years before they can acquire their own breeding herd, by fighting the herd bull. Fights are more a display of supremacy, very seldom causing any body harm. Sable will confront any predator, very often the later being gored and killed by the Sable's formidable horns. One or two weeks before parturition, female Sable will leave the herd and retreat to a secluded place, where she will give birth. For the first 2 or 3 days, the mother will stay no further than a couple of hundred meters from her calf, moving progressively further away to rejoin the herd. The calves will congregate in nursery groups, only joining the mother "at lunch time". Adults weigh up to 250 Kg. and have a life span of about 15 years.
DIET	Sable Antelope are mainly grazers.
BREEDING	After a gestation period of about 8 months, one single calf is born. Cows give birth for the first time at the age of 3 years.

ORDER	FAMILY	Scientific name
Artiodactyla	Bovidae	Hippotragus niger (Harris,1838)