THE GERENUK, OR WALLER'S GAZELLE 



Lithocranius walleri, Brooke 



Somali name, Gerenuk 



Description. — This peculiar antelope might well be called the 

 giraffe antelope, owing to its resemblance to that quadruped in its 

 general appearance. Its peculiarities are its long legs, flat skull, 

 elongated muzzle, together with its long giraffe-like neck. The 

 horns, which are only present in the males, are very massive in 

 comparison with the skull* The general colour of the Gerenuk is 

 a reddish fawn with a broad band of dark brown running down the 

 back and along upper third of sides. The eyes, which are large 

 and prominent, are surrounded by a light brownish-white band, 

 while the frontal portion down to the nose is of a bright rufous. 

 The shape of the nose and muzzle is not unlike that of a camel. 



Measurements. — The following are the dimensions of a good 

 average male gerenuk shot in Ogo-Guban 



Length of head and body ^7 m. 



Length of tail 



Height at shoulder 

 Round the body 

 Weight 



57 

 9 

 41 

 3U 

 95 



lb. 



* The horns, considering their length, are reinarkably massive at the base, 

 and look out of all proportion to the slender flat skull. On rising from the 

 skull they almost immediately curve backwards and upwards for half their 

 length, then upwards for about a quarter, and finally quite suddenly form 

 hooks at the terminal quarter. The last quarter forming the hook may project 

 directly forwards, but more commonly forwards and slightly inwards, and never 

 directly inwards as in the springbuck. The terminal quarters are very 

 frequently unsymmetrical. The lower two-thirds of the horns are prominently 

 ribbed, though sometimes filled with caked mud, while the remaining one- 

 third is smooth and polished. 



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