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The giant eland (''Taurotragus derbianus''), also known as the Lord Derby eland, is an open-forest and savanna antelope. A species of the family Bovidae and genus ''Taurotragus'', it was first described in 1847 by John Edward Gray. The giant eland is the largest species of antelope, with a body length ranging from 220–290 cm (87–114 in). There are two subspecies: ''T. d. derbianus'' and ''T. d. gigas''. The giant eland is an herbivore, eating grasses, foliage and branches. They usually form small herds consisting of 15–25 members, both males and females. Giant elands are not territorial, and have large home ranges. They are naturally alert and wary, which makes them difficult to approach and observe. They can run at up to and use this speed as a defence against predators. Mating occurs throughout the year but peaks in the wet season. They mostly inhabit broad-leafed savannas, woodlands and glades. The giant eland is native to Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and South Sudan. It is no longer present in The Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Togo. Its presence is uncertain in Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Uganda. The subspecies have been listed with different conservation statuses by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). ==Etymology== The scientific name of the giant eland is ''Taurotragus derbianus'', derived from three words: ''tauros'', ''tragos'', and ''derbianus''. ''Tauros'' is Greek for a bull or bullock. ''Tragos'' is Greek for a male goat, and refers to the tuft of hair that grows in the eland's ear which resembles a goat's beard.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=tragos&searchmode=none )〕 The giant eland is also called "Lord Derby's eland" in honour of Edward Smith-Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby. It was due to his efforts that the giant eland was first introduced to England between 1835 and 1851. Lord Derby sent botanist Joseph Burke to collect animals, either alive or dead, from South Africa for his museum and menagerie. The first elands introduced in England were a pair of common elands, and what would later be identified as a giant eland bull. The details were recorded in Smith-Stanley's privately printed work, ''Cleanings from the Menagerie at Knowsley Hall''. The Latin name indicates that it "belonged to" (given by the suffix -''anus'') Derby, hence ''derbianus''. Although the giant eland is somewhat larger than the common eland, the epithet 'giant' actually refers to its large horns.〔〔 The name 'eland' is Dutch for "elk" or "moose". It has a Baltic source similar to the Lithuanian ''élnis'', which means "deer". It was borrowed earlier as ''ellan'' (French) in the 1610s or ''elend'' (German). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Giant eland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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