Oribi  (Ourebia ourebi)

This medium-sized ungulate has slender legs, a long neck, and small pointed horns. The silky coat of the oribi is yellow to reddish-brown on the back but is white on the belly. Each knee has a long tuft of hair, and the tail is short and black. The eyes have a white line of fur above them, often used to help distinguish them from other ungulate species. Beneath the ears are dark, hairless patches, and on the sides of the face are vertical creases that house the preorbital glands. These glands produce a odorous secretion that is used to mark the oribi's territory (2).

The oribi has a discontinuous distribution across central and southern Africa. Haggard's oribi is found in Kenya and Somalia, and the Kenya oribi was found only in Kenya (2).

Inhabits open grasslands, preferring habitats with short grasses on which to graze, interspersed with tall grasses for hiding in. The oribi tends to avoid steep slopes (2).

This solitary ungulate patrols its territory, marking the boundaries with urine, faeces and secretions from the preorbital glands on its face. Active during the day, the oribi grazes on fresh grass during the wet season, and browses on shrubs when drought occurs. To supplement its diet, the oribi visits mineral licks every few days (2).

During the breeding season, each male will meet with the females who share his territory to mate. Usually just one or two females are present in each territory, and following a six to seven month gestation period, they will give birth to one calf each, usually in October or November. Females reach sexual maturity after only 10 months, with males taking 14 months. Young oribi are at risk of predation by jackals, baboons, eagles, monitor lizards and Libyan wildcats, but once fully grown, leopards, caracals and pythons become the main predators (2). Oribi will produce a shrill whistle when alarmed and are seen to jump vertically up with all four legs straight and the back arched when they are under threat from a predator (3). This behaviour is known as stotting and, whilst not fully understood, is thought to be an indication to the predator that they have been seen and no longer have the element of surprise in their attack. An oribi that stotts is less likely to be killed by the predator.

The oribi is hunted for food and for sport, and its habitat is threatened by agricultural and urban development (2).

The oribi is found in several protected areas (2), and is the subject of a WWF Species Project (4). This project aims to track captive-bred oribi after their release into appropriate habitat to research their home ranges and their habitat preferences. The long-term aim of the project is to establish viable wild populations from captive-bred stock (4).

For further information on this species see Animal Diversity Web:
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ourebia_ourebi.html

This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
arkive@wildscreen.org.uk