The Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi is one of the best places to see roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus). This is pretty much a simple record shot, but it gives an accurate impression of these strange-looking beasts. I saw them often during my brief stay in May 2007, and never failed to enjoy the sight.
All content © 2009 Pete McGregor
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That's a funny looking critter. Seems patched together from spare antelope.
"...patched together from spare antelope..."
I love that.
Makes me wonder why there are so many animals that exploit similar niches. How do they ever specialize? How did they branch off evolutionarily to become this? And why?
Robin andrea, those are precisely the kinds of questions that engage evolutionary biologists and indeed anyone who wonders at the diversity and complexity of the world. One peculiarity I noted about these antelope was their apparent fondness for water — I saw them wading in dams, sometimes neck deep. Most un-antelope-like behaviour, one would think — and certainly something that would open up new feeding opportunities?
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