A study of the social behaviour of the Roan antelope, Hippotragus equinus equinus (Desmarest, 1804) in the Kruger National Park

Abstract

An analysis of the social bohaviour of the roan antelope (Hi£E.g__tragus eguinus ~quipus Desmarest, 1804) is presented in this thesis. The study commenced in Jv..ly, 1967 e A hard of 10 animals in an cmclosurG - 1 ~ 6 kiloso square and simulating natural conditions - provided ideal opportunities for inte~sive study: Further observations were made on free-roaming herds in the main roan h<Jbitat of the Park i.eo the Lebombo flats north of the Letaba rivere The basic discipline regulating the interactions between the members of a herd is the dominance hierarchyo According to this system the social standing of each individual in the herd is determined by its degree of dominance over other herd members" The position amongst males differs from that of the females insofar as the dominance - which allows for conditional tolerance towards other individuals - is replaced by total intolerance amongst adult males e This rules out any possibility of an amiable co-existence between adult bullso ~ straight-line dominance hierarchy is evident amongst the cows o Characteristically the leadership of the herd is the £unction of the most dominant cow~ by age mid not Among the immatures dominunce is determined sex. Rank positions among f0mal0s remain unchang0d in the transition from immature to adult. Dominant individuals assert their dominance over subordinates by means of the dominance display and low, moderate and high intensity fightingo Once established, the positions remain stable~ The dominance hierarchy results in herd stability,,