Red Hartebeest
wildlife of Namibia
Introduction - Hartebeest have an excellent sense of smell and hearing, but their sense of sight is poor. When alarmed, they tend to mill about in seeming confusion, snorting nervously before running off. Once in its stride, a hartebeest can achieve a speed of 65 km per hour, zigzagging left and right in its characteristic bouncing flight, which make it more difficult for predators to catch them. Like the blue wildebeest, it has an uncanny sense of direction and will find water and fresh grazing after rain has fallen a considerable distance away.
Fairly common throughout central Namibia and the Kalahari Desert small herds can sometimes be seen while landing at Windhoek International Airport.
Diet - Red Hartebeest are predominantly grazers and are water independent when necessary.
Colouring - Most individuals are a reddish-brown colour, although this does vary to yellow-brown or tawny. They have a black forehead, with a patch of reddish-brown across the face between and in front of the eyes, and a black band on top of the muzzle.
Breeding - Expectant females leave the herd in early summer and give birth to a single calf, usually between September and December, after an eight month gestation period. The female visits the calf to suckle and clean it. Once it is strong enough, it joins the herd with its mother. Mother hartebeest can recognize their young from a distance of 300 m.
Size - The average shoulder height for a male is 1,25 m, and for a female 1,1 m; they weight between 150 kg (male) and 120 kg (female).
