Nyala

Male nyalas are tall animals with large ears, long horns and a ruffled coat. Juveniles and females are reddish-brown in colour and have no horns. They have well-developed senses and their large ears suggest that sound plays a particularly important role. Females produce a single calf, usually in August or September. They are ready to mate within a week of giving birth.

Nyalas are found in south-east Africa: Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Nyalas live in groups of 8 to 16 individuals comprising females and their offspring as well as one or more males. Males are sometimes solitary. The nyala’s inability to flee from predators at high speed appears to have limited it to occupying covered biotopes, only emerging at dawn and dusk.

• 
  Habitat

  Dense forest and savannah in south-east Africa.
• Food

  Leaves, shoots and bark

Did you know ?

Nyalas can stand on their hind legs in order to reach the leaves and bark of trees.