Nyala

Female nyala live in small groups with their offspring and forage through the undergrowth together. Adult males are solitary, living alone except for during the mating season, when they temporarily join a female herd. Nyalas mate year-round, but mating activity peaks in spring and autumn. When a male joins a female herd, he courts the females by approaching them with his head and horns bowed down in a non-threatening posture. If multiple males try to join the same herd, this will result in a performative display; males circling each other and making their hair stand on end while holding their tails and horns up high, in order to make themselves look as big as possible. If this results in a stalemate, the males will fight. In either case, the victor mates with the herd’s females if they are receptive. A female will give birth to a single calf after a 7 month pregnancy, hidden away from the herd in thick brush or shrub. The calf remains there for up to 3 weeks, being nursed by the mother regularly, before joining the herd. Females reach sexual maturity at 1 year old and males at 18 months old, though they won’t be mature and strong enough to secure mates until about 5 years old. Young males leave their mothers at maturity and become solitary, while females remain with their mother’s herd.

Female nyala live in small groups with their offspring and forage through the undergrowth together. Adult males are solitary, living alone except for during the mating season, when they temporarily join a female herd. Nyalas mate year-round, but mating activity peaks in spring and autumn. When a male joins a female herd, he courts the females by approaching them with his head and horns bowed down in a non-threatening posture. If multiple males try to join the same herd, this will result in a performative display; males circling each other and making their hair stand on end while holding their tails and horns up high, in order to make themselves look as big as possible. If this results in a stalemate, the males will fight. In either case, the victor mates with the herd’s females if they are receptive. A female will give birth to a single calf after a 7 month pregnancy, hidden away from the herd in thick brush or shrub. The calf remains there for up to 3 weeks, being nursed by the mother regularly, before joining the herd. Females reach sexual maturity at 1 year old and males at 18 months old, though they won’t be mature and strong enough to secure mates until about 5 years old. Young males leave their mothers at maturity and become solitary, while females remain with their mother’s herd.