An eland at dawn

Common Eland. The common eland (Taurotragus oryx), is also known as the southern eland or eland antelope. An adult male is around 1.6 m tall at the shoulder, females are 20 cm shorter and can weigh up to 942 kg with a typical range of 500–600 kg, 340–445 kg for females. It avoids dense forests. It barks loudly. Eland is used by humans for leather, meat, and milk, and has been domesticated in many areas. Eland milk contains more butterfat than cow’s milk. It is native to Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, but is no longer present in Burundi. While the common eland’s population is decreasing, it is classified as of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Most of their water is obtained from their food, though they drink water when available. They require a high-protein diet of succulent leaves from flowering plants b