The Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. The waterbuck is one of the six species of the genus Kobus and belongs to the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. The generic name Kobus is a New Latin word, originating from an African name, koba. The specific name ellipsiprymnus refers to the white elliptical ring on the rump, from the Greek ellipes (ellipse) and prymnos (prumnos, hind part).
37 subspecies of the waterbuck had been initially recognised on the basis of pelage color. They classified into two groups: the Ellipsen waterbuck group and the Defassa Waterbuck group. Owing to the high variability of coat color in the Defassa Waterbuck group, as many as 29 subspecies were included in it; the Ellipsen waterbuck group consisted of eight subspecies. In 1971, however, the number of subspecies was reduced to thirteen (four for the Ellipsen waterbuck group and nine Defassa waterbuck group). The two major subgroupings are:
K. e. ellipsiprymnus (Ellipsen waterbuck) group: Found in southeast Africa, ranging from southern Somalia to KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and inland to the Gregory Rift and Botswana. K. e. defassa (Defassa waterbuck) group: Found west of the Gregory Rift, ranging from Ethiopia west to Senegal and south to Zambia.
The Ellipsen Waterbuck has a white ring around the rump while the Defassa Waterbuck has an all white rump.