Male Nyala at the waterhole. The night hides at Zimanga Private Game Reserve, South Africa also work well in daylight! Perhaps one of the most impressive antelopes to visit the waterhole was the Nyala. Here a magnificent male came for a quick drink.
These antelopes are found in northeastern parts of South Africa and southern Malawi. Males are 1.2m in height with horns that are 0.6m long on average and weigh in at around 100kg. These mixed browsers and grazers require regular access to water and are never far from cover. Male Nyala do not hold territories but rather establish dominance by displays such as raising the mane or walking slowly with stiff legs. Males can be solitary or found in bachelor herds.
The sexes are markedly different. Female Nyala are much smaller, do not have horns and lack the shaggy hair of the males. They have a yellow-brown to chestnut coat with as many as 18 vertical white stripes on its side.