Mammals
Lechwe
Kobus leche · also called red lechwe
Bounding through shallow floodwater on elongated, splayed hooves, a lechwe turns seasonally flooded plains into a highway, sometimes gathering with tens of thousands of its own kind across the wetlands of southern-central Africa.
Overview
The lechwe, Kobus leche, is a wetland-adapted antelope native to seasonally flooded habitat concentrated in southern-central Africa, particularly the Okavango Delta and Bangweulu wetlands. Its water-repellent coat, specialized hooves, and capacity to form massive herds make it one of the most distinctive floodplain antelope species found anywhere on the continent.
A life timed to the flood
The lechwe’s entire yearly rhythm follows the rise and fall of seasonal floodwaters, concentrating in enormous herds as the plains flood and dispersing as the water recedes, a cycle few other antelope are built to exploit so fully.
Status
Near Threatened, with populations concentrated in a small number of major wetland systems and declining due to habitat alteration and disease.
Lechwe: common questions
How does the lechwe move so easily through water?
This species has elongated, splayed hooves and an oily, water-repellent coat, together allowing it to bound through shallow floodwater at speed without becoming waterlogged or losing footing.
How large can a lechwe herd get?
This species can gather in enormous herds numbering in the tens of thousands during the dry season, making it one of the largest antelope aggregations found anywhere in Africa.
Do female lechwe have horns?
No, this species has ridged, lyre-shaped horns present only on males, which are used in ritualized fights during the breeding season.
Why is the lechwe classified as Near Threatened?
This species is concentrated in a small number of major wetland systems in southern-central Africa and has declined due to habitat alteration, hunting, and disease transmission from cattle, leaving it more vulnerable than more widely distributed antelope.