Hartebeest Scrum

​I once read that hartebeest (or rather the tribe Ancelaphinae) are among the most evolutionarily derived bovids. I don’t really know if it’s true (subsequent investigations into bovid phylogenies make me think I’m not too crazy for remembering this bit of trivia) but I do know that they are remarkable animals blessed with goofy long face, an efficient loping gait, and remarkable hooked horns. In watching the males fight, they jostle for a lower position, often resting their metacarpals in the mud to give themselves better leverage. They then force themselves into their opponents and lock those hooked horns in a violent embrace. It’s loud and it’s raw

These two particular male Jackson’s hartebeest in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park fought for well over 5 minutes, and the exhaustion was evident in their heavy breathing fatigued charges.