Eland << EE luhnd >> is the largest antelope in Africa. It may stand 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall at the shoulder and weigh 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms). The eland is a calm and graceful animal. It can run as fast as a horse and spring high into the air. All elands have long, spiraled horns and tufted, cattlelike tails. A dewlap (fold of skin) hangs from the neck.
There are two types of elands. The common eland lives in an area from Kenya west to Angola and south to South Africa. The Derby eland lives in the area from Sudan to Senegal and Gambia and south to the Republic of the Congo.
The eland’s color varies from deep chestnut or bluish-gray to pale buff or fawn. Most elands have from 8 to 15 vertical white stripes on their sides and a black stripe down their backs. Black patches cover the backs of the forelegs above the knees. In southern Africa, the common eland has faint markings.
Herds of up to 200 elands browse on partly forested land and open plains. During dry seasons, elands can live for weeks without water.
