Jackson’s hartebeest is regarded as a hybrid between lelwel and coke’s hartebeest. It has a large antelope with an elongated forehead and a pair oddly reggid horns. It has a length between 150 to 200 centimeter from head to body and weighing over 200 kilograms.
It has long legs sometimes with kind of black markings, with short neck to a body, sharp ears and a black short tail. Both female and male Jackson’s hartebeest have horns. The females are a bit smaller than those of a male.
The horns can exceed a length of 40cms.They are mostly active during day time and you will observe them graze in fair group of 20 and above animals. They do graze in the morning and afternoon times in a day.
Jackson’s hartebeest are so cautious and have a very sharp brain. Calm and humble, however they can change to a bitter mood once provoked. While grazing, there will at least be a single animal on watch for danger. On spotting a predator trying to approach them, they will all be alerted. Lions, cheetah, will dog, jackals, leopards are Hartebeest major predators.
You will at no point see them associate will in the same group. The long and slender legs of Hartebeest help them always to easily run out of danger. Even in the dry season Jackson’s hartebeest will still feed on its usual eating, though to get water into its body and feed on melons and stems.
They are mainly grazers who feed on soft short grasses, leaves, stems and so on. Both females and males reach sexual maturity at the age of 1 to 2 years. And mating usually takes place throughout the year though reproduction depends on local factors.
Jackson’s hartebeest go through an 8 to 9 months gestation period, after which a single calf is born. Usually weighing 6 to 8 kilograms. A few weeks after birth, a calf will move in its own though in accompaniment with its mother. The will stick around its mother for over 2 years before its gets to on its own.