Kobus ellipsiprymnus
Silhouette: Jan A. Venter, Herbert H. T. Prins, David A. Balfour & Rob Slotow (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is in the genus Kobus of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. Its 13 subspecies are grouped under two varieties: the common or ellipsiprymnus waterbuck and the defassa waterbuck. Their coat colour varies from brown to grey. The long, spiral horns, present only on males, curve backward, then forward, and are 55–99 cm (22–39 in) long.
Waterbucks are rather sedentary in nature. As gregarious animals, they may form herds consisting of six to thirty individuals. These groups are either nursery herds with females and their offspring or bachelor herds. Males start showing territorial behaviour from the age of five years, but are most dominant from six to nine. The waterbuck cannot tolerate dehydration in hot weather, and thus inhabits areas close to sources of water. Predominantly a grazer, the waterbuck is mostly found on grassland. In equatorial regions, breeding takes place throughout the year, but births are at their peak in the rainy season. The gestational period lasts 7–8 months, followed by the birth of a single calf.
Waterbucks inhabit scrub and savanna areas along rivers, lakes, and valleys. Due to their requirement for grasslands and water, waterbucks have a sparse ecotone distribution. The IUCN lists the waterbuck as being of least concern. More specifically, the common waterbuck is listed as of least concern, while the defassa waterbuck is near threatened. The population trend for both is downwards, especially that of the defassa, with large populations being eliminated from certain habitats because of poaching and human disturbance. Wikipedia →
Call0:45
Ivory Coast · 2018
© Lars Lachmann · XC1045820 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Waterbuck sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, based on 55 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 15 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Waterbuck in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, against about 20% in December, the lowest month. July to October have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Waterbuck sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 38
Of the 38 parks where we can rate Waterbuck sightings, Niokolo-Koba National Park ranks 11th at about 70%. The best odds are in Tarangire National Park (Tanzania, about 80%), Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 80%) and Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 80%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Waterbuck is recorded against all the mammals logged in Niokolo-Koba National Park (55 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.
