Species profile
About the topi
Topi are unmistakable once seen: a rich reddish-brown coat with a violet sheen across the shoulders and thighs, dark patches on the upper legs and a long sloping back. They are among the fastest antelope on the plains and among the most watchful.
The habit of standing motionless on a termite mound to survey the grassland has made the topi one of the signature images of the Serengeti's western corridor. Males hold small breeding territories in dense clusters — a lek — during the rut, a mating system shared with very few other antelope.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Diurnal grazer, alert and fast. Uses termite mounds and anthills as lookouts, and gives a snorting alarm that other species respond to.
Social life
Small herds of females and young with a territorial bull; in some populations bulls gather on a lek of tightly packed small territories during the rut.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
A violet sheen on the coat, dark "trouser" patches on the legs, and the lek mating system.
