We love these pictures of a male and female nyala, one of the many antelope that are found at Kudu Ridge Game Lodge in Addo.
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Facts about nyala:
Nyala are medium sized antelope and weigh between 55 and 125 kgs. Their name translates in Zulu to”shify one” as they are shy and often elusive.
A male nyala is much larger and heavier than a female. Males are dark brown in colour with indistinct white stripes down their torso and a white chevron between their eyes. Their lower legs are a tan colour and they have a fringe of hair along their underside and a thin crest on their back.
Only male nyalas have horns and these can reach up to 70 cms (28 inches) in length.
Female and juvenile nyala are red/brown in colour with distinctive vertical white stripes on their body. Ewes do not have horns but do have a white marking between their eyes.
In larger antelope species the male is called a bull and the female a cow. In smaller antelope the male is called a ram and the female a ewe. Nyala are used as the marker between antelope species (due to the large difference in size between males and females). The male is classified as a bull and the female is classified as a ewe. Any male antelope smaller than a nyala is classified a ram and female antelope larger than nyala are classified as a cow.
Nyala spend most of the day, particularly the hottest part, under the shade of trees and tend to feed during the evening and early in the morning. They have an alarm call that is a dog-like bark.
Nyala mainly feed of leaves but also eat grass, twigs, fruits and flowers. Nyala drink daily when water is plentiful but are able to survive in areas when water is only seasonally available.
Nyala can sometimes be confused with kudu, especially the females. Kudu females are yellower in colour and the males have a more pronounced hump, corkscrew spiral horns and are lighter than nyala bulls.
Read more about the other game at Kudu Ridge Game Lodge.
