Tragelaphus imberbis
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) is a medium-sized East African antelope found in East Africa. The species is not especially closely related to the Greater Kudu, though both belong the Artiodactyl tribe Tragelaphini (family Bovidae), of striped, spiral-horned African bovids, along with the Nyala, Elands, Balbok, Bushbucks, Bongo, and Sitatunga. It was first scientifically described by English zoologist Edward Blyth (1869).
The lesser kudu is a browser subsisting off of foliage from tall bushes, trees, and herbaceous perennial plants. They are not territorial, and mainly crepuscular, preferring to be active after dusk until the dawn hours, seeking shelter in dense thickets just after the sunrise. The Lesser Kudu inhabits dry bushland regions, bordering on arid grasslands, as well as scrubland and light open forest habitat.
The Lesser Kudu is native to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, but it is possibly extirpated from Djibouti. It may have been present in Saudi Arabia and Yemen as recently as 1967, though its presence in the Arabian Peninsula is still controversial.
The total population of the Lesser Kudu is decreasing. Presently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature rates the Lesser Kudu as "near threatened". The handsome head of the male Lesser Kudu, with his elegant spiraled horns, is the symbol of the Saint Louis Zoo. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 5 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Mkomazi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Dvůr Králové Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 6 | Haller Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Bratislava Zoo | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 9 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Dickerson Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Łódź Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 15 | Little Rock Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Reserva Zoológica Oasys MiniHollywood | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 17 | Newport Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Sobela Ocean Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Glen Echo Park Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Kung Fu Corals | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Sea Life Aquarium Kansas City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Kudu sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 22 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, June–July and December
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Kudu in Meru National Park on a given day, against about 20% in May and September, the lowest months. Those are among Meru National Park's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 200 mm in November.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Kudu sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Lesser Kudu sightings, Meru National Park ranks 2nd at about 60%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tsavo West National Park (Kenya, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Bovidae
The closest relatives of the Lesser Kudu that you can see in Meru National Park (family Bovidae, Bovids) are Waterbuck (about 70%), Grant's Gazelle (about 70%) and Kirk's Dik-dik (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Kudu is recorded against all the mammals logged in Meru National Park (26 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
