Lechwe

 
Setswana Name:  Letswee
 
Scientific Name: 
Kobus leche
 

The Lechwe or Southern Lechwe, (Kobus leche) is an antelope found in Botswana, Zambia, south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north-eastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the Okavango Delta, Kafue Flats and Bangweulu Swamps.
 
Lechwe stand 90 to 100 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 120 kilograms. Red lechwe are sturdy, shaggy antelope with a chestnut-red coat, paler underneath than on top, and beautiful lyre-shaped horns. The long spiral structured horns are only found in the males. The hind legs are somewhat longer in proportion than in other antelopes, to ease long-distance running in marshy soil. The black-tipped tail has a bushy white "flag" on the underside.  The foreleg has a black stripe. The hooves are long and relatively narrow, as an adaptation to the marshy environment. Lechwe use the knee-deep water as protection from predators. Their legs are covered in a water repelling substance allowing them to run quite fast in knee-deep water.
 
As with most antelope, the lechwe has peak activity times in the morning and late afternoon.  Extremely at ease in the water, animals are regularly seen grazing in shoulder-deep water.  They are good swimmers, but prefer to wade while walking on boggy ground.  On solid land, their long, soft hooves are a disadvantage.  Therefore, as seasonal floods and draughts occur, herds move in step with the water, grazing on the periphery of the floodplain.  Generally, females and their young are found in the wetter areas, with males (whether solitary or in bachelor herds) inhabiting the drier zones.  As vegetation grows plentifully in the floodplains, lechwe population here can be up to 200 individuals per square kilometer.  No strict social system exists, and often the only lasting bonds are between a mother and her recent offspring.
 

As a result of its amphibious habits, the lechwe is preyed on by a variety of predators, from crocodiles and pythons to lions, leopards, spotted hyaenas and wild dogs. Like the reedbuck, it sometimes flattens itself on the ground to avoid detection, suddenly taking off in startled leaps and bounds. The lechwe comes on to dry land only to rest and calve: the only antelope that is more adapted to water is the sitatunga.

The ram will defend his territory with threatening displays, and will fight if an intruder tries to mate with one of his ewes. The clash of horns during these fierce, sometimes fatal, duels may be heard a long distance away.
 

Reproduction
During the mating season (October through January) the sexes mix in the herd. After that period they form separate herds. The gestation period lasts for seven to eight months, after which the female gives birth to a single young. The majority of births occur in the dry season (July through October), although breeding has been noted throughout the year.  Cows leave the herd to give birth and hide their newborn calves for two to three weeks in the shelter of reeds on an island or other dry spot. Calf mortality is high: usually about 50%.
 

Habitat
Floodplains bordering swamps, rivers, and marshes in south-central Africa.  Rarely found more than a kilometre or two from swamp or river with permanent water.
Lechwe reach the southern limit of their distribution in the Okavango and Linyanti areas. They are also found in the DRC, Angola, Namibia's Caprivi Strip, and in Zambia, their stronghold. Wherever they occur, the males are generally larger and darker than the females. The Okavango Delta is the most populated area with red lechwe, with an estimated 30,000 inhabiting the area.
 
Food
The lechwe eat a variety of grasses, sedges, shrubs and semi-aquatic plants. They will spend much of their time grazing on grasses and sedges, standing in water if necessary. Many times the red lechwe will travel a number of miles to find food.