Sable Antelope
Hippotragus niger
🦌
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Pecora
Bovidae
Hippotragus
Hippotragus niger
The Ebony King of the Savanna — Hippotragus niger, the sable antelope, is one of Africa’s most magnificent grazing mammals, renowned for its glossy black coat, arched neck, and scimitar-shaped horns. With a proud stance and striking coloration, it commands the open woodlands and grasslands of southern and eastern Africa.
Description
The sable antelope is a large, muscular herbivore, standing about 1.3 meters at the shoulder and measuring 2.4 meters from head to tail. Males are deep black with a white underbelly and facial mask, while females and juveniles are chestnut brown. Both sexes carry long, curved horns that can exceed a meter in length, used in ritual combat and defense.
Adapted to grassy woodlands and miombo forests, Hippotragus niger thrives near permanent water. It grazes selectively on fresh grasses and displays a regal social structure: herds of females led by a dominant bull who defends his range with elaborate displays and, if necessary, fierce horn battles.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
230
1.4
2.1
2.5
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Grazers
Hunt History
The sable antelope was revered and hunted by ancient humans across sub-Saharan Africa, both for sustenance and for its horns and hide. Prehistoric rock art across Zimbabwe and Zambia often portrays sables with exaggerated horns, suggesting cultural or spiritual significance. Over centuries, subsistence hunting and later colonial sport hunting reduced local populations, though modern conservation has stabilized many herds.
Archaeological Evidence of Human Interaction:
Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe — c. 4000 BCE: rock paintings of horned antelopes resembling Hippotragus niger.
Luangwa Valley, Zambia — c. 2500 BCE: butchered bones of sable antelopes associated with early hunting camps.
Kruger Region, South Africa — c. 1500 BCE: archaeological sites with stone tools and antelope remains showing hunting activity.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Africa
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
13.8
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/backfat, marrow, mesenteric fat
Adipose Depots
Hump/backfat, mesenteric, perirenal; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Hump/backfat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
4