Some Gerenuk facts – All about Gerenuk deer
Some Gerenuk facts which may also called Gerenuk deer ( زرافہ ہرن ). It is, actually, a gerenuk antelope as it is a type of antelope. Gerenuk habitat is basically Africa. Due to its long neck like giraffe, it is also known as giraffe gazelle. This article gives details about feeding, breeding and other aspects of the life of this animal. This article is written by Dr. Mujahid Hussain, Wildife Veterinary Officer.
بحریہ ٹاؤن کراچی میں برڈ آئیوری چرپی پارک کا افتتاح
مختلف جانوروں میں بچے کی پیدائش کا حیران کن عمل، ڈاکٹر مجاہد حسین کی دلچپسپ تحریر
بجلی جیسا جھٹکا دینے والی سانپ نما مچھلی کے بارے دلچسپ حقائق، ڈاکٹر مجاہد حسین
The continent of Africa is proud to have over seventy species of antelopes. Some are majestic like the sable (Hippotragus niger) and gemsbok (Oryx gazella), others are graceful like the impala (Aepyceros melampus) and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis); some are playful and charming like the bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), and nyla (Tragelaphus angasii), and some are charming and adorable like the small duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia). These include the unique and incomparable gerenuk, a one-and-a-half-meter-tall gerenuk found on the Horn of Africa.
Scientific Name and Meaning of Gerenuk
The scientific name for the gerenuk is Litocranius walleri, from lithos meaning “stone” and kranion meaning “top of the skull.”
The Gerenuk was first described by naturalist Victor Brooke in 1879 and named “Gazella walleri” in memory of his late brother at the request of Gerald Waller. Around 1895, it was given the Somali name “garanuug”, which became known in English as Gerenuk, meaning “giraffe-necked”.
Unique Gerenuk Facts
The name Gerenuk conjures up something strange about this animal.
It would probably be unfair to call the Gerenuk strange and ungainly, since we would readily accept a five-ton animal with a long nose (an elephant) and a four-meter-tall animal with a purple tongue (a giraffe).
Gerenuk has rarely been featured in nature documentaries and has rarely been seen in African wildlife photos, but despite its strangeness, there is something about Gerenuk that draws the eye and doesn’t let go.
Gerenuk Facts and Physical Appearance
Seeing Gerenuk, it seems as if some cosmic force has pulled the impala vertically without giving it any width, because the first thing that catches your eye is its 7 to 10-inch long neck, which is why it is also called the “giraffe deer”. This long neck balances amazingly on its slender legs, helping it to eat food that is two meters high.
The long ears on the small head and the white circle around the large, innocent-looking round eyes add to the uniqueness of this animal.
Nature has blessed it with long eyelashes to protect its eyes from sharp and thorny bushes. The white parts on its reddish-brown fur add to its beauty.
This small deer weighs 28-52 kg and can run at a speed of 56-64 km per hour. The 10-17 inch long S-shaped horns on the wedge-shaped head are only found in males. Its hooves are triangular and its stomach has four chambers, and it also chews like other deer.
Feeding Habits of Gerenuk
Gerenuk stands on its hind legs, lifts its front legs and places them on high branches and breaks the food that is at a height of two meters, including soft leaves, thorny bushes, buds, fruits, flowers, etc., with the help of its tongue and upper lip.
These deer live in small herds of 2-6 and spend most of their time searching for food and eating food. Like the North American kangaroo rat (Dipodomys phillipsii), this deer also quenches its thirst with its own food and can live its entire life without drinking water.
Gerenuk Facts about Communication and Social Behavior
They have a unique vocabulary of sounds to communicate with each other, such as meowing when startled, whistling when disturbed, high-pitched barking when sensing danger, and the female’s soft meowing when talking to her young, etc.
Male deer mark their territory by excreting a thick black substance from the ducts near their eyes and smearing it on trunks and branches, and often use urine for this purpose. This deer is shy and timid by nature, and if it senses danger, it trots lightly or sits still and hides behind bushes, looking out from its long neck. Its average lifespan is 8-13 years.
Reproduction and Courtship
Like its appearance, its method of sexual intercourse is also very unique. The female deer brings her ears close to her head with her nose raised, which causes the male deer to display his long neck and horns so that the female will choose him for mating.
Upon receiving a positive signal, the male marks the female’s thigh with a substance coming from near his eyes and, while guarding and pursuing her, repeatedly sniffs her urine so that when the female is ready to mate, the male can immediately detect the change in her urine. Before mating, the male deer rubs his scent glands, which are located behind the knees and inside the hooves, near the female deer’s eyes and occasionally pats or kicks the female deer’s stomach with his front leg.
Mother and Young
The female deer breastfeeds the young for one to one and a half years after a pregnancy of 6-7 months. Seeing the Gerenuk capybara and the attractive baby will remind you of the opening scenes of the movie Bambi.
Threats and Predators
The reduction or fragmentation of its habitat (semi-arid scrubland and desert) and unbalanced hunting are the main reasons for its extinction. Its famous predators include African wild dogs and cats, leopards, hyenas, lions and leopards.
Conservation Status of Gerernuk Deer
Its conservation status in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list has been “Near Threatened” since 2008.
After knowing all this, you will surely be forced to consider the Gerenuk as a rare, curious and amazing creature of Africa.
