A safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda - October 2007

WATERBUCK
(Kobus ellipsiprymnus
defassa )

Odd as it may seem, the Waterbuck are not really at home in water. They live in wooded areas, which they prefer for protection, and graze on grasses both day and night. They live close to water sources, of course, and must drink every day or two. They will use water as a last resort to escape predators, and in order to protect their coats secret oils from their sweat glands that waterproof them. These oils give their meat in mature adults a very unpleasant taste. Consequently, predators prefer the younger members of the herd, or other animals altogether. 

Their weight ranges between 350 and 530 pounds for mature animals, with males growing 25 percent larger than the females. Only the males have horns, which can grow to 40 inches. The horns are ringed and gracefully curved and can grow to 40 inches. The horns can be lethal, not only to predators but to other males in territorial struggles. 

The Waterbuck can be very beautiful, imposing animals in the wild. But the older they grow, the darker their fur tends to be, and their manes can be scruffy. There are two types: the common Waterbuck has a circle of white on the rump. The defassa Waterbuck, which we saw, have solid white patches on either rump.