A half-antelope, half-swamp sprite, perfectly built for life in flooded grasslands. It lives in the vast wetlands and marshy plains around the Nile in South Sudan and nearby Ethiopia, where dry ground can suddenly turn into ankle-deep or even chest-deep water. At first glance, it looks a bit like a kob or waterbuck, but the Nile lechwe has its own very special style. The males are especially dramatic: they’re darker, often a deep chocolate brown that can look almost black, with long, swept-back horns that curve gracefully like polished scimitars.

Females and young are much lighter—golden-tan with a white underside and no horns—so a mixed herd looks like a blend of chocolate and caramel bodies splashing through the green. Big, soft eyes and a narrow muzzle give them a gentle, almost deer-like face, but the moment they move, you can tell they’re built for a very different world.

One of the Nile lechwe’s coolest features is hidden in its legs and feet. This is a swamp specialist, and its hooves are long and slightly splayed, spreading its weight so it doesn’t sink as easily into mud. When it walks through shallow water, it can look like it’s gliding; when it runs, it bounces in long, springy strides that throw up sprays of water behind it.

Nile lechwe are excellent swimmers and think nothing of crossing flooded channels that would stop many other antelopes. They spend much of their time in or near water, feeding on soft grasses and aquatic plants, often with their legs half-hidden in the marsh. If you watch a group feeding, you might see some animals calmly grazing while others stand like lookouts, heads high, scanning for danger above the reeds.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Ethiopia

2016

South Sudan

2016