Оңтүстік цессебе – Damaliscus lunatus lunatus түр таңдамасы

Subspecies of the subfamily Alcelaphinae in the family Bovidae

The common tsessebe or sassaby (Damaliscus lunatus lunatus) is the southern, nominate subspecies of Damaliscus lunatus, although some authorities have recognised it as an independent species. It is most closely related to the Bangweulu tsessebe, sometimes also seen as a separate species, less to the topi, korrigum, coastal topi and tiang subspecies of D. lunatus,

Common tsessebe are among the fastest antelopes in Africa and can run at speeds up to 90 km/h.

Adult tsessebe are 150 to 230 cm in length. They are quite large animals, with males weighing 137 kg and females weighing 120 kg, on average. Their horns range from 37 cm for females to 40 cm for males. For males, horn size plays an important role in territory defense and mate attraction, although horn size is not positively correlated with territorial factors of mate selection. The most significant difference between the tsessebe, the southernmost subspecies, and the other topi subspecies is the incline of the horns, with the tsessebe having horns which are placed further apart from each other as one moves distally. This has the effect of the space between them having a more lunate profile when seen from a certain angle, as opposed to lyrate, more like that of a hartebeest. Tsessebe populations show variation as one moves from South Africa to Botswana, with southerly populations having on average the lightest pelage colour, smallest size and the least robust horns. Common tsessebe do not differ significantly from the Bangweulu tsessebe, the northernmost population, but in general the populations from that part of Zambia are on average the darkest coloured and have the most robust horns, although differences are slight and individuals in both populations show variation in these characteristics which almost completely overlap each other. Tsessebe declare their territory through a variety of behaviors. Territorial behavior includes moving in an erect posture, high stepping, defecating in a crouch stance, ground horning, mud packing, shoulder wiping, and grunting. The most important aggressive display of territorial dominance is in the horning of the ground. Another far more curious form of territory marking is through the anointing of their foreheads and horns with secretions from glands near their eyes. Tsessebe accomplish this by inserting grass stems into their preorbital glands to coat them with secretion, then waving it around, letting the secretions fall onto their heads and horns. This process is not as commonly seen as ground horning, nor is its purpose as well known. in grasslands, open plains, and lightly wooded savannas, but they are also found in rolling uplands and very rarely in flat plains below 1500 m above sea level. Tsessebe found in the Serengeti usually feed in the morning between 8:00 and 9:00 am and in the afternoon after 4:00 pm. The periods before and after feeding are spent resting and digesting or watering during dry seasons. Tsessebe can travel up to 5 km to reach a viable water source. To avoid encounters with territorial males or females, tsessebe usually travel along territorial borders, though it leaves them open to attacks by lions and leopards. Dominant males occupy the center of the leks, so females are more likely to mate at the center than at the periphery of the lek.

The first known person in the Western world to record this antelope was the English painter Samuel Daniell, who painted it in "Boosh wana", and recorded it as the "sassayby". The painting of the animal was first published posthumously in 1820 by his brother. William Cornwallis Harris, in his 1840 book about big game hunting, was quite familiar with the species in the Cashan Mountains and Kurrichane Hills, and renders the name as "sassaybe". Sassaby had thus become the common name for this antelope in Southern Africa by the end of the 19th century. The English later recorded the Tswana name for the antelope as tsessĕbe, by 1895 it was thought that this was the origin for the anglicised word. Other names for the antelope which were recorded by Frederick Selous around this time were inkweko in the language of the Masubians of the Caprivi Strip (related to Lozi), incolomo and incomazan in the isiNdebele of "Matebele", unchuru was the Sekuba name given by the Makuba of northern Botswana, inyundo by the Makalaka, and luchu or lechu by the Masaras. The antelope was recorded as called myanzi in isiZulu and the bastaard hartebeest by the Afrikaners, indeed it looks somewhat like a cross between a hartebeest and a horse. In the 2016 update to the Red List of Mammals of South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho, the minimum South African population was estimated as 2,256–2,803 individuals, of which the total minimum mature population size was 1,353–1,962; this was believed to be a significant underestimate, due to not getting enough responses from private game reserves on time for publication. During 1980s and 1990s tsessebe populations in South Africa and Zimbabwe declined significantly, especially in the National Parks. In 1999 the populations stabilised and began to grow again, especially in private game reserves. There were a number of different theories advanced as to what was causing this decline, while other species were doing well. A study compared the situation with around Lake Rukwa in Tanzania in the 1950s, a paper about game populations and the elephant problem, which might create the open habitat required through their bulldozing behaviour.

Excess tsessebe can be bought from South African National Parks via game auctions under Section 55(2) (b) of the Protected Areas Act 57 of 2003. Legally, tsessebe may be trophy hunted in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, in the some of these countries in game management concessions, in others in game ranches and in some in both. Tsessebe hides were formerly (1840) locally much in demand in South Africa to make a garment called a kobo, a type of leather mantle, both for the suppleness and the pleasing colour. The tail would be positioned at the back of the neck, like a ponytail, and would be opened and squeezed flat.