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Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as Least concern.〕 | trend = down | image = Kobus_ellipsiprymnus.jpg | image_caption = A waterbuck in the South Luangwa National Park. | image_width = | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Mammalia | ordo = Artiodactyla | familia = Bovidae | subfamilia = Reduncinae | genus = ''Kobus'' | species = ''K. ellipsiprymnus'' | binomial = ''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'' | binomial_authority = (Ogilby, 1833) | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = See text }} The waterbuck (''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'') is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus ''Kobus'' of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. The thirteen subspecies are grouped under two varieties: the common or ellipsen waterbuck and the defassa waterbuck. The head-and-body length is typically between and the average height is between . A sexually dimorphic antelope, males are taller as well as heavier than females. Males reach approximately at the shoulder, while females reach . Males typically weigh and females . The coat colour varies from brown to grey. The long, spiral horns, present only on males, curve backward, then forward and are long. Waterbuck are rather sedentary in nature. A gregarious animal, the waterbuck may form herds consisting of six to 30 individuals. These groups are either nursery herds with females and their offspring or bachelor herds. Males start showing territorial behaviour from the age of five years, but are most dominant from the age of six to nine. The waterbuck can not tolerate dehydration in hot weather, and thus inhabits areas close to sources of water. Predominantly a grazer, the waterbuck is mostly found on grassland. In equatorial regions, breeding takes place throughout the year, but births are at their peak in the rainy season. The gestational period lasts for seven to eight months, followed by the birth of a single calf. Waterbuck inhabit scrub and savanna areas along rivers, lakes and valleys. Due to their requirement for grasslands as well as water, the waterbuck have a sparse ecotone distribution. The IUCN lists the waterbuck as being of Least Concern. More specifically, the common waterbuck is listed as of Least Concern while the defassa waterbuck is Near Threatened. The population trend for both the common and defassa waterbuck is downwards, especially that of the latter, with large populations being eliminated from certain habitats because of hunting and human disturbance. == Taxonomy and etymology == The scientific name of the waterbuck is ''Kobus ellipsiprymnus''. The waterbuck is one of the six species of the genus ''Kobus'' and belongs to the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. The generic name ''Kobus'' is a New Latin word, originating from an African name, ''koba''. The specific name ''ellipsiprymnus'' refers to the white elliptical ring on the rump,〔 from the Greek ' (ellipse) and ' (', hind part). The animal acquired the vernacular name "waterbuck" due to its heavy dependence on water as compared to other antelopes and its ability to enter into water for defence. The type specimen of the waterbuck was collected by South African hunter-explorer Andrew Steedman in 1832. This specimen was named ''Antilope ellispiprymnus'' by Ogilby in 1833. This species was transferred to the genus ''Kobus'' in 1840, becoming ''K. ellipsiprymnus''. It is usually known as the common waterbuck. In 1835, German naturalist Eduard Rüppell collected another specimen, which differed from Steedman's specimen in having a prominent white ring on its rump. Considering it a separate species, Rüppell gave it the Amharic name "defassa" waterbuck and scientific name ''Antilope defassa''.〔 Modern taxonomists, however, consider the common waterbuck and defassa waterbuck a single species, ''K. ellipsiprymnus'', given the large number of instances of hybridisation between the two.〔 Interbreeding between the two takes place in the Nairobi National Park owing to extensive overlapping of habitats. 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「Waterbuck」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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