Taurotragus oryx
Silhouette: Jan A. Venter, Herbert H. T. Prins, David A. Balfour & Rob Slotow (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The common eland (Taurotragus oryx), also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a large savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. An adult male is around 1.6 m (5.2 ft) tall at the shoulder and can weigh up to 942 kg (2,077 lb) with a typical range of 500–600 kg (1,100–1,300 lb). Females are around 1.4 m (4.6 ft) tall and weigh 340–445 kg (750–981 lb). It was scientifically described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766.
Mainly a herbivore, its diet is primarily grasses and leaves. Common elands form herds of up to 500 animals, but are not territorial. The common eland prefers habitats with a wide variety of flowering plants such as savannah, woodlands, and open and montane grasslands; it avoids dense forests. It uses loud barks, visual and postural movements, and the flehmen response to communicate and warn others of danger. The common eland is used by humans for leather and meat, and has been domesticated in southern Africa. Eland milk contains more butterfat than cow's milk, and can be stored for up to eight months.
It is native to Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, but is no longer present in Burundi. While the common eland's population is decreasing, it is classified as of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Wikipedia →
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Common Eland sighting in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and December
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Common Eland in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, March, May and July–October, the lowest months. Those are among Waterberg Plateau Park's wettest months, with about 70 mm of rain a month against almost none in May.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Eland sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
19th of 29
Of the 29 parks where we can rate Common Eland sightings, Waterberg Plateau Park ranks 19th at about 40%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 80%), Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 70%) and Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Bovidae
The closest relatives of the Common Eland that you can see in Waterberg Plateau Park (family Bovidae, Bovids) are Kirk's Dik-dik (about 90%) and Greater Kudu (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Eland is recorded against all the mammals logged in Waterberg Plateau Park (5 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.
