The common eland (Taurotragus oryx), also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is a species of the family Bovidae and genus Taurotragus. It was first described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. An adult male is around 5 feet tall at the shoulder (females are 8 inches shorter) and can weigh up to 2077 lbs with an average of 1,100–1,300 lb. It is the second largest antelope in the world, being slightly smaller on average than the giant eland.
Mainly an 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 provides leather and rich, nutritious milk, and has been domesticated in many areas. It is native to sub Sahara Africa.
The name 'eland' is Dutch for "elk" or "moose". It has a Baltic source similar to the Lithuanian élnis, which means "deer". It was borrowed earlier as ellan (French) in the 1610s or Elend (German). When Dutch settlers came to the Cape Province they named it after the large, herbivorous moose. In Dutch the animal is called "Eland antelope" to distinguish it from the moose, which is found in the northern boreal forests.
Common elands are spiral-horned antelopes. They are sexually dimorphic, with females being smaller than the males.
Their coat differs geographically with elands in north Africa having distinctive markings (torso stripes, markings on legs, dark garters and a spinal crest) that are absent in the south. The coat is smooth except for a rough mane. Females have a tan coat, while the coats of males are darker, with a bluish-grey tinge.
Both sexes have horns with a steady spiral ridge (resembling that of the bushbuck). The horns are visible as small buds in newborns and grow rapidly during the first seven months. The common eland is the slowest antelope, with a peak speed of 25 mi. per hour that tires them quickly. However, they can maintain a 14 mi. per hour trot indefinitely