English: Common Eland; French: Eland du Cap; Afrikaans: Eland; Amharic: Wudenbi; Bambara: Minanjan; Banda-Linda: Gbozogbo; Basari: Ekandand; Damara: !gaeb; Iswana: Chofu; Herero: Ongarangombe; Kikuyu: namu; Kiswahili: Mbungu, Pofu; Kuanyama: Ongalangobe; Kung: N!N, dùu, nqng; Lozi; Pofu; Maasai: o sirua; Manza: Bazagbo; Nganguela: Ntyew; Ndorobo: Singoita; Ovambo: Ongalangombe; Shangan: Mhofu; Shona: Mhofu; Sindebele: Mpofu; Sotho: Phohu, Phokfu; Tswana: Phohu; Wolof: Yomoussa; Xhosa: Impofu; Zulu: Impo.
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Former distribution: Throughout Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, southern Congo, Zambia, Angola. Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.
Present distribution: Southern Uganda, southern and central Kenya, Tanzania, south-eastern Zaire, central and southern Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and in South Africa in the Transvaal. Introduced into USA, Texas.
Behaviour: Preferred habitat: open woodland, grasslands, savannas and semi-arid bush areas; gregarious, forming herds of up to a thousand animals; browsers of leaves, bushes and succulent fruits; activity at twilight and by day; predators include lions and wild dogs.
Population status: Stable in parks and game reserves; vulnerable in free areas. Reasons for the decrease included Rinderpest and uncontrolled hunting.
Brief notes:
Body weight: 600-900 kg
Head and body length: 250-300 cm
Tail length: 50-80 cm
Shoulder height: 135-160 cm
Gestation period: 250-270 days
Maximum age: 20-25 years
Trophy: Record SCI: 115 3/8 score, 1984 Zambia, FRED RADEMEYER; average 79 score. RW’s: 41 5/8″, 1983 Tanzania, L. IRVIN BARNHART; average 29″. CIC: 214.65 points, Mozambique, L. TELLO; average 175 points.
Hunting methods: Stalking with trackers.
Remarks: Elands have been tamed or domesticated (1892) in the Crimea in Russia; 1945 in Zimbabwe and later in South Africa. The female elands also carry horns.
