Swayne's hartebeest

Swayne's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) is an endangered antelope native to Ethiopia. Two of the largest remaining populations are located in Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary, Nechisar National Park and Maze National Park.^[3] It has been extirpated from Somalia. It is named after British officer H. G. C. Swayne (1860–1940).^[4]

Swayne's hartebeest
Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary, Ethiopia
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Endangered (ESA)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Subfamily:	Alcelaphinae
Genus:	Alcelaphus
Species:	A. buselaphus
Subspecies:	A. b. swaynei
Trinomial name
Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei (Sclater, 1892)
Range of the Swayne Hartebeest (in red)

When it comes to their population status, during the times before the early 1890s the Swayne's hartebeest was very common throughout Ethiopia and Somalia. The population then declined due to an epidemic during the mid-1890s which brought about an extremely high mortality rate for wildlife and livestock which were labeled as “in danger of extermination”. ^[5]

Swayne's hartebeest exhibits ecological differences from other subspecies of hartebeests in that they prefer grassland habitats during the wet and dry seasons. It likes to select short grass areas of no more than 30 centimeters for feeding and has a preference for burned grassland patches. The preference for burned grassland patches has become relevant in the development of effective conservation strategies for the subspecies (and potentially the whole species). ^[6]

a herd of Swayne's hartebeest

References

1. IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2017). "Alcelaphus buselaphus ssp. swaynei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T809A3145291. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T809A3145291.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. "Swayne's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei)". ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
3. Abebe YD (2010). "A Glimpse at Biodiversity Hotspots of Ethiopia". Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society (PDF). Ethiopian Wildlife & Natural History Society. p. 77. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-16.
4. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2009). The eponym dictionary of mammals. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 401. ISBN 9780801893049. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
5. Datiko, Demeke; Bekele, Afework (2011-05-05). "Population status and human impact on the endangered Swayne's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) in Nechisar Plains, Nechisar National Park, Ethiopia". African Journal of Ecology. 49 (3): 311–319. Bibcode:2011AfJEc..49..311D. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2011.01266.x. ISSN 0141-6707.
6. Tamrat M, Atickem A, Tsegaye D, Evangelista P, Bekele A, Stenseth NC (January 2020). "The effect of season and post-fire on habitat preferences of the endangered Swayne's hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) in Maze National Park, Ethiopia". BMC Ecology. 20 (1): 5. Bibcode:2020BMCE...20....5T. doi:10.1186/s12898-020-0275-3. PMC 6986001. PMID 31992270.