Greater Kudu

Greater kudu eat a wide variety of leaves, herbs, vines, flowers, and some grasses. In the dry season, they may seek out more fruit for the liquid they provide.

At the Zoo, kudu eat timothy hay, a specially formulated herbivore pellet, and the foliage growing in the Heart of Africa savanna.

Historically, the species could be found in much of eastern and southern Africa. While it has disappeared from some areas in the north of its former range, greater kudu can still be found in eastern Sudan, south through Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, and into greater southern Africa. 

Greater kudu prefer savanna woodland, primarily hilly areas and woods along waterways. If there is enough cover, like trees and bushes, they can even live near people. The species tends to avoid open grassland without cover. 

Lions, spotted hyenas, African wild dogs, leopards, and cheetahs all hunt kudu for food.

Kudu populations are also impacted by humans who hunt them for their meat, hides, and horns. In Africa, kudu horns are highly valued and used for making musical instruments or other important items. Additionally, the loss of their natural habitat has caused kudu numbers to drop and break into smaller areas, especially in its former northern range.

Greater kudu range in color from reddish-brown to gray, with six to ten thin white stripes running down their backs. Calves (young kudu) and females are usually a brighter red color, which helps them blend into their surroundings, while males become darker as they grow older. Kudu also have white markings on their faces, including diagonal stripes between their eyes called chevrons and white spots on their cheeks. Kudu have a crest of longer hair running along their spine from neck to rear. Their tails have dark tips with white on the underside. These colors and patterns help the kudu hide in the bushes and trees. When they sense danger, they often stay very still, making it hard for predators to see them.

With large, round ears, kudu are extremely sensitive to noises, making it hard to surprise them. Their long legs and necks help them reach high food and see over tall grass and bushes. They are also strong jumpers and can leap over obstacles that are more than eight feet high.

Males have a long beard and long, spiral horns that can grow up to 72 inches long. These horns are permanent, meaning they don't fall off like antlers, and are formed from the kudu's skeleton. The growth and shaping of horns are controlled by genetics, causing intermittent changes in horn material thickness and growth speed. These changes result in the spectacular spiraling.

Greater kudus are animals that live in groups called herds, which are made up of adult females and their young. During the mating season, mature males join these female groups, but for most of the year, they prefer to live alone or with other males in bachelor groups.

These animals mate at the end of the rainy season. Usually, a female gives birth to one calf after being pregnant for about seven to nine months, which typically occurs when the grass is tall and plentiful. Before giving birth, a female will separate from the herd to have her baby. The calf stays hidden for several weeks, with the mother visiting only to nurse it. After some time, the calf starts to walk with its mother, and by the time it is three or four months old, it stays with her all the time. Eventually, they both rejoin the herd.

Calves grow fast and become more independent by six months when they stop nursing. Male calves usually stay with the herd for one and a half to two years, while females tend to stay longer. Males become fully mature by age five, while females reach maturity by age three.

Greater kudu can produce a variety of sounds, including barks, grunts, hoots, bleats, and a strained whimper. Males will also whine, gasp, and hum to communicate. Visual signals, such as flashing the white undersides of their tails, are used to communicate the movements and presence of predators. Scent plays an important role in their communication as well, especially during the breeding season when they need to attract mates.

Greater kudu forage during the early morning and late afternoon, taking the middle of the day to seek cover and rest, especially when it is hot. 

In groups of male kudus, the leader is usually the biggest and oldest, which means they don't often fight. When they do, one male will stand sideways to make himself look bigger until the other backs down. If they start to spar, the males walk towards each other, interlock their horns, and push against each other until one gives up.