Nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) lives in dense thornbush and coastal forest across Southern Africa. It feeds on leaves and fruits. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Nyala
- Nyala males tower over females like a two-story house over a bungalow. Their bodies stretch 135-195 cm long, yet males can stand up to 110 cm at the shoulder while females top out at 90 cm. A male weighs 98-125 kg, the 55-68 kg of a female, making the nyala the most sexually dimorphic antelope. This size gap drives different feeding habits, shaping how each sex uses the woodland thicket.
- Nyala have been walking their own evolutionary path for millions of years. Fossil clues place their split from relatives at the end of the Miocene, about 5.8 million years ago, and genetic work shows they carry 55 chromosomes in males and 56 in females, with the Y chromosome fused onto chromosome 14. As the second branch off the tragelaphine tree after the lesser kudu, their long-standing isolation.
- Around 32,000 nyalas roamed southern Africa in 1999, and today the species remains listed as Least Concern. South Africa alone hosts at least 30,000 individuals, with 25,000 in KwaZulu-Natal, while Eswatini shelters over 1,000. Mozambique holds no more than 3,000, Zimbabwe just over 1,000, Malawi has slipped to about 1,500, and Namibia's tiny remnant is roughly 250.
- Nyala reproduction runs on a tight calendar. A female's estrous cycle lasts about 19 days, but she only allows mating for a six-hour window each cycle while males may court for two full days. After a seven-month gestation, a single calf drops into the thicket weighing roughly 5 kg. The newborn stays hidden for up to 18 days.
- When danger looms, nyalas unleash a sharp, high, dog-like bark that echoes through the thicket, mainly voiced by females to rally the herd. They also eavesdrop on alarm calls of impalas, baboons and kudus, and impalas in turn answer back. Groups usually number two to ten, though a Zinave study found 67 % of sightings were solitary or in trios, with occasional herds swelling to 30 individuals, highlighting their flexible social structure.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSouthern Africa
HabitatDense thornbush and coastal forest
DietLeaves and fruits
About the Nyala
In the dappled shade of southern Africa's woodlands, the nyala moves with understated elegance, its spiral horns twisting upwards like dark, polished scimitars as it navigates the dense underbrush with quiet confidence. As it pads silently through the forest, the nyala's large, dark eyes seem to drink in every detail of its surroundings, ever vigilant for the presence of predators lurking in the shadows. With its reddish-brown coat and white-striped face, this elusive antelope is a masterpiece of subtle adaptation, blending seamlessly into the sun-dappled landscape as it goes about its daily quest for sustenance and survival.
Hear the Nyala, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
