ELAND

either of two species of easily tamed, oxlike antelopes that constitute the genus Taurotragus of the family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). They are found in herds on the open plains or in lightly wooded areas of central and southern Africa. The largest of living antelopes, elands may stand up to 1.8 m (6 feet) at the shoulder and weigh as much as 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds). They have a short, dark mane, a dewlap (flap of skin) hanging from the throat, and long horns twisted in a tight, screwlike spiral. The males have shorter, heavier horns than the females and have a tuft of dark hair on their foreheads. The common eland (Taurotragus oryx; also called the Cape, or Livingstone's, eland) is pale brown, becoming blue-gray with age, and is often marked with narrow, vertical white stripes. The giant, or Derby, eland (T. derbianus) is reddish brown with a blackish neck and vertical white striping. It has heavier, more widely divergent horns than the common eland. A subspecies, the western giant eland (T.d. derbianus), extinct in some of its former range, is considered endangered.