![]() ![]() In 1975, Husson and Holthuis examined the original Dutch version of Kolbe's book and concluded that the illustration did not depict a bluebuck, but rather a greater kudu ( Tragelaphus strepsiceros), and that the error was due to a mistranslation into German. ![]() Kolbe also included an illustration, which Mohr believed was based on memory and notes. Only four mounted skins remain, in museums in Leiden, Stockholm, Vienna, and Paris, along with horns and possible bones in various museums.Īccording to German zoologist Erna Mohr's 1967 book about the bluebuck, the 1719 account of the Cape of Good Hope published by the traveler Peter Kolbe appears to be the first publication containing a mention of the species. Hunted by European settlers, the bluebuck became extinct around 1800 it was the first large African mammal to face extinction in historical times, followed by the quagga in 1883. The few 18th-century illustrations appear to have been based on stuffed specimens. The first published mention of the bluebuck is from 1681, and few descriptions of the animal were written while it existed. Sea level changes during the early Holocene may also have contributed to its decline by disrupting the population. The bluebuck was confined to the southwestern Cape when encountered by Europeans, but fossil evidence and rock paintings show that it originally had a larger distribution.Įuropeans encountered the bluebuck in the 17th century, but it was already uncommon by then, perhaps due to its preferred grassland habitat having been reduced to a 4,300-square-kilometre (1,700 sq mi) range, mainly along the southern coast of South Africa. The bluebuck was a grazer, and may have calved where rainfall, and thus the availability of grasses, would peak. It also lacked the contrasting black and white patterns seen on the heads of its relatives. Its mane was not as developed as in the roan and sable antelopes its ears were shorter and blunter, not tipped with black and it had a darker tail tuft and smaller teeth. The forehead was brown, darker than the face. The coat was a uniform bluish-grey, with a pale whitish belly. Its horns measure 56.5 centimetres (22.2 in) along the curve. The largest mounted bluebuck specimen is 119 centimetres (47 in) tall at the withers. The bluebuck was sometimes considered a subspecies of the roan antelope, but a genetic study has confirmed it as a distinct species. It was smaller than the other two species in its genus Hippotragus, the roan antelope and sable antelope. The bluebuck ( Afrikaans: bloubok / ˈ b l aʊ b ɒ k/) or blue antelope ( Hippotragus leucophaeus) is an extinct species of antelope that lived in South Africa until around 1800. Cerophorus leucophaeus De Blainville, 1816.Bubalis leucophaea (Lichtenstein, 1814). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |