| Eland | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Taurotragus oryx | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Tribe: | Tragelaphini |
| Genus: | Taurotragus Wagner, 1855 |
| Type species | |
| Antilope oreas Pallas, 1777 | |
| Species | |
| |
Taurotragus is a genus of giantantelopes of the Africansavanna, commonly known aselands. It contains two species: thecommon elandT. oryx and thegiant elandT. derbianus.
| Phylogenetic relationships of the Taurotragus species in relation to the species from a paraphyleticTragelaphus. From combined analysis of all molecular data (Willows-Munro et.al. 2005) |
Taurotragus/təˈrɒtrəɡəs/ is agenus of large Africanantelopes, placed under thesubfamilyBovinae andfamilyBovidae. Thegenus authority is the German zoologistJohann Andreas Wagner, who first mentioned it in the journalDie Säugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen in 1855.[1] The name is composed of twoGreek words: ταῦρος (taûros), meaning a "bull" or "bullock",[2][3] and τράγος (trágos), meaning a "male goat"—in reference to the tuft of hair that grows in the eland's ear which resembles a goat's beard.[4]
The genus consists of two species:[1]
| Species | Subspecies | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Common eland (Taurotragus oryx)(Pallas, 1766)
| Three subspecies of common eland are recognized, though their validity has been in dispute.[5][6]
|  |
| Giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus)(Gray, 1847)
| The largest antelope in the world. It has two subspecies:[7]
|  |
Taurotragus is sometimes considered part of the genusTragelaphus on the basis ofmolecular phylogenetics. Together with thebongo, giant eland and common eland are the only antelopes in thetribe Tragelaphini (consisting ofTaurotragus andTragelaphus) to be given a generic name other thanTragelaphus.[8] Although some authors, likeTheodor Haltenorth, regarded the giant eland asconspecific with the common eland, they are generally considered two distinct species.[9]
The eland have 31 malechromosomes and 32 female chromosomes. In a 2008phylogenomic study of spiral-horned antelopes, chromosomal similarities were observed betweencattle (Bos taurus) and eight species of spiral-horned antelopes, namely:nyala (Tragelaphus angasii),lesser kudu (T. imberbis), bongo (T. eurycerus),bushbuck (T. scriptus),greater kudu (T. strepsiceros),sitatunga (T. spekei), giant eland and common eland. It was found that chromosomes involved incentricfusions in these species used a complete set of cattlepainting probes generated bylaser microdissection. The study confirmed the presence of thechromosome translocation known asRobertsonian translocation (1;29), a widespread evolutionary marker common to all known tragelaphid species.[10]
An accidental mating between a male giant eland and a female kudu produced a male offspring, but it wasazoospermic. Analysis showed that it completely lackedgerm cells, which producegametes. Still, the hybrid had a strong male scent and exhibited male behaviour. Chromosomal examination showed that chromosomes 1, 3, 5, 9, and 11 differed from the parentalkaryotypes. Notable mixed inherited traits were pointed ears as the eland's, but a bit widened like kudu's. The tail was half the length of that of an eland, with a terminal tuft of hair as in kudu.[11] Female elands can also act assurrogates forbongos.[8]
The bovid ancestors of the eland evolved approximately 20 million years ago inAfrica;fossils are found throughout Africa andFrance but the best record appears in sub-Saharan Africa. The first members of the tribe Tragelaphini appear 6 million years in the past during thelate Miocene. An extinct ancestor of the common eland (Taurotragus arkelli) appears in thePleistocene in northernTanzania and the firstT. oryx fossil appears in theHolocene inAlgeria.[8] Previous genetic studies of Africansavannaungulates revealed the presence of a long-standingPleistocenerefugium in eastern and southern Africa, which also includes the giant eland. The common eland and giant eland have been estimated to have diverged about 1.6 million years ago.[12]
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Both the species of eland are large spiral-horned antelopes. Though the giant eland broadly overlaps in size with the common eland, the former is somewhat larger on average than the latter. In fact, the giant eland is the largest species of antelope in the world.[13][14][15][16] Eland aresexually dimorphic, as the females are smaller than males. The two eland species are nearly similar in height, ranging from 130–180 cm (51–71 in).[17] In both species, males typically weigh 400 to 1,000 kg (880 to 2,200 lb) while females weigh 300 to 600 kg (660 to 1,320 lb).[17][18]
The coat of the common eland is tan for females, and darker with a bluish tinge for males.[19] The giant eland is reddish-brown to chestnut. The coat of the common eland varies geographically; the eland in southern Africa lack the distinctive markings (torso stripes, markings on legs, dark garters and a spinal crest) present in those from the northern half of the continent. Similarly, the giant eland displays 8 to 12 well-defined vertical white torso stripes. In both species the coat of the males darken with age. According to zoologist Jakob Bro-Jørgensen, the colour of the male's coat can reflect the levels ofandrogens (male sex hormones), which are highest duringrutting.[20]
