Species profile
About the lichtenstein’s hartebeest
Lichtenstein's hartebeest replaces Coke's hartebeest south and west of the northern circuit. It is a brighter tawny colour with a distinct rufous saddle across the back and rump, and its horns curve forward and then sharply back in a tight hook.
It is a woodland-grassland animal of the miombo belt, and Nyerere, Mikumi, Katavi and the grasslands around Mahale are the parks where visitors meet it. A characteristic habit is rubbing the face in mud and then on grass stems, leaving scent marks — bulls often carry a muddy forehead as a result.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Diurnal grazer that lies up in shade at midday. Bulls scent-mark grass stems with mud and pre-orbital secretions and stand sentinel on termite mounds.
Social life
Small herds of a bull with about five to ten cows and calves, holding a stable territory year-round.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
A rufous back saddle absent in Coke’s hartebeest, and mud-and-scent marking that leaves bulls with a stained forehead.