ROAN ANTELOPE (Hippotragus Equinus)

Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus) Swahili: Korongo
The roan antelope is one of Tanzania's less common antelope species. There are still a few small herds inSerengeti National Park.The roan is the third largest of the antelopes after eland and kudu.It measures up to 150 cm at the shoulder and bears a striking resemblance to a horse.The coat varies from reddish fawn to dark rufous with white underpants and there's a conspicious mane of stiff,black-tipped hairs which stretches from the nape to the shoulders.Under the neck,there is another mane of sorts consisting of long dark hairs.The ears are long,narrow and pointed with a brown tassel at the tip.The face is a very distinctive black and white pattern.Both sexes have curving backswept horns which can measure up to 70 cm.Roan are aggressive by nature and fight from a very early age,a characteristic which frequently deters predators.For most of the year they live in small herds of up to 20 and sometimes more,led by a master bull,but in the mating season,the bulls become solitary and take a female out of the herd.The pair stay together until the calf is born after which the females form a herd by themselves.They eventually return to their former herd.Herds congrete during the dry season.Being principally grazers,roan rarely move far when food is plentiful but they are susceptible to drought and during such periods they may be constantly on the move.