Topi males Akagera National Game Park Rwanda Central Africa
Topis (Damaliscus korrigum) are a highly social and fast antelope species of the genus Damaliscus. The vernacular name "topi" applies not only to the species but also to two subspecies D. k. jimela and D. k. topi, while the name korrigum or tiang applies to the subspecies D. k. korrigum. Along with the Bangweulu Tsessebe this species was formerly included in the common tsessebe. The species is to be found in the savannas, semi-deserts, and floodplains of sub-Saharan Africa. Topi primarily live in grassland habitats ranging from treeless plains to savannas. The topi is a selective feeder and uses its elongated muzzle and flexible lips to forage for the freshest plants. When foraging for food topi tend to make small bites at a fast rate. Predators of topi include lions and spotted hyenas with jackals being predators of newborns. They are especially targeted by hyenas. The topi has what is possibly the most diverse social organization of the antelopes. Topi herds can take the form of "perennially sedentary-dispersion", "perennially mobile-aggregated" or something in between. This depends on the habitat and ecology of the areas they are in. In addition, the reproductive organization ranges between the traditional territorial system or resource defense polygyny herds to gatherings that contain short-lasting territories to lek systems. In areas such as the Akagera National Park in Rwanda and Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, topi males establish leks which are territories that are clustered together. These territories have little value outside of the males in them. The most dominant males occupy the center of the lek cluster and the less dominant occupy the periphery. Males mark their territories with dung piles and stand on them in an erect posture ready to fight any other male that tries to invade. Estrous females enter the leks both alone and in groups and mate with the males in the center of the lek cluster.
Size: 3784px × 2527px
Location: Northern Akagera National Game Park Rwanda Central Africa
Photo credit: © Roland Pargeter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -saharan, ., africa, africa., akagera, antelope, applies, bangweulu, central, common, damaliscus., fast, fertile, floodplains, game, genus, grassland, highly, included, jimela, korrigum, korrigum., male, males, national, park, plains, rwanda, savannas, semi-deserts, social, species, subspecies, tiang, topi, topis, tsessebe, tsessebe., vernacular
