There are no adverse effects of L. walleri on humans.
Several anti-predator adaptations have evolved in Litocranius walleri for their survival both while they are juveniles and as adults. Young L. walleri remain motionless while hiding in the bushes and tall grasses not far from their mothers during the day when the mother is feeding. As adults they show an adaptation that is more common to forest dwelling antelopes than to desert-adapted ones, they freeze at the aproach of danger. They are preyed on by a diverse set of large predators found throughout their range.
Known Predators:
The long neck and long, thin legs of gerenuks are their defining features; these make them one of the world's most easily recognized antelopes. The coat is of a short, fine, glossy hair that is evenly distributed over the whole body. The pelage is a pale tawny brown with white along the breast, underbelly, and inner legs. There are small, dark patches of fur on the knees of the forelegs and at the end of the tail. The head is long and narrow with medium-sized ears, and the cheek teeth and masseter muscle are reduced. On the head there is a dark patch around the eyes that pales as it goes outward until it forms a white rim. Only males of this species have head ornamentation in the form of scimitar shaped horns ranging from 25 to 44 centimeters in length. Both sexes of L. walleri are of similar size but the males are more muscular than females causing them to outweigh them. Mass ranges from 29 to 58 kg, total body length from 140 to 160 cm, and tail length from 220 to 350 mm.
Range mass: 29 to 58 kg.
Range length: 140 to 160 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: ornamentation
The average life span of female Litocranius walleri is slightly longer than males. Their lifespan in the wild averages 10 - 12 years.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 10 to 12 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 13.0 years.
The habitat that Litocranius walleri occupies varies from the treeless plains of Tanzania in the southern reaches of its range to the dry high deserts of Kenya. They are adaptable and do well in a variety of habitats, provided there is a good supply of succulent plants.
Range elevation: 0 to 3,000 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland
Litocranius walleri inhabits the dry brushy region of east Africa from the Serengeti plain of Tanzania north along the coast through Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and into southern Somalia. The species was once found in eastern Egypt and northeastern Sudan as well.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Litocranius walleri is well adapted for obtaining forage from their arid habitats. Their long necks, long legs, and the ability to stand on their hind legs allows L. walleri to obtain tree leaves that are out of reach for most other antelope species. This permits gerenuks to be selective in the foods they eat and to be efficient browsers of herbaceous plants. Over 80 different species of plants have been found in a single individuals stomach. L. walleri does not drink free standing water, they instead rely on water taken in when they eat succulent plants.
Plant Foods: leaves; seeds, grains, and nuts
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Although rare, gerenuk contribute to nutrient cycling in the ecosystems in which they live through their foraging activity. They also act as prey species for large predators.
Litocranius walleri has been a game animal in Africa for over 200 years. Although they are limited in supply for hunters and have a limited range, they continue to be hunted for trophies and for bush meat. In the expanding world of photosafaries and parks in Africa L. walleri will become a regular subject for this endeavor. Unfortunately L. walleri doesn't do well in captivity and has rarely been bred in zoos.
Positive Impacts: food ; ecotourism
Litocranius walleri is a game animal, even though its not very common, and as a game animal it is protected in most of its range in the form of tags or permits. There are many parks offering sanctuary for them within their range and many biologists and game managers studying them so they are not considered to be at significant risk currently.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: pheromones ; scent marks
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
The mating ritual of Litocranius walleri is complex. When a male encounters a potential mate the female will raise her nose into the air and pull her ears close to the head as a sign of defensiveness, meanwhile the male displays his horns and neck in a sideways pose. If the female is receptive then the male will mark the female on the thigh with the contents of his preorbital gland and contiue to follow her around, a form of mate guarding. As the male follows the female he continually uses his forelegs to kick the female in her thigh region. When the female atempts to urinate the male performs the flehmen test or lip curl test in which he samples her urine. Once the female comes into estrous the male will notice the difference in the females urine and mating will begin. Males will attempt to mate with as many females as they can. (Macdonald, 1984)
Mating System: polygynous
Gerenuk females breed every one to two years, depending on the sex of their previous year's offspring. Males are dependent on their mothers for longer than are females. Reproduction and births occur throughout the year and may depend on the quality of available nutrition. Females give birth to usually one young after a gestation period of about 165 days.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs throughout the year.
Range number of offspring: 1 (low) .
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range gestation period: 6.77 to 7 months.
Range weaning age: 12 to 18 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 to 2 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 to 2 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); viviparous
Average number of offspring: 1.
Female Litocranius walleri usually give birth to one young, rarely two. The young are precocial and begin to walk within minutes of birth. The female continues to look after her young until she weans them. Young females get weaned when they reach one year of age but male offspring are not weaned until they reach at least one and a half years old and stay with their mothers until after they are two.
Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care ; post-independence association with parents
Also known as the Waller's gazelle, the gerenuk (Litocranius walleri), call the dry shrubland of East Africa home. The Somalian word ’Gerenuk’ means ‘Giraffe-necked’ – and it’s easy to see how these antelopes earned this name! Their long necks allow them to reach branches 6-8 ft. off the ground. They extend this reach even further by standing upright on their hind legs while feeding. The Gerenuk once had a wide distribution in Africa, but are currently thought to occur only in southern Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and North-eastern Tanzania. For more info visit the MammalMAP virtual museum or blog.
The gerenuk (/ˈɡɛrɪnʊk, ɡəˈrɛnək/; Somali: garanuug; Litocranius walleri), also known as the giraffe gazelle, is a long-necked, medium-sized antelope found in parts of East Africa. The sole member of the genus Litocranius, the gerenuk was first described by the naturalist Victor Brooke in 1879. It is characterised by its long, slender neck and limbs. The antelope is 80–105 centimetres (2 feet 7 inches – 3 feet 5 inches) tall, and weighs between 18 and 52 kilograms (40 and 115 pounds). Two types of colouration are clearly visible on the smooth coat: the reddish brown back or the "saddle", and the lighter flanks, fawn to buff. The horns, present only on males, are lyre-shaped. Curving backward then slightly forward, these measure 25–44 cm (10–17+1⁄2 in).
The gerenuk was first described by Victor Brooke in 1879 on the basis of three male specimens procured on "the mainland of Africa, north of the island of Zanzibar".[4] Brooke used the scientific name Gazella walleri, on the request of Gerald Waller (who provided the specimens) to name it after his deceased brother.[4] The type locality was later corrected by John Kirk, who originally obtained the specimens on the "coast near the River Juba in southern Somalia" before giving them to Waller.[5] In 1886, Franz Friedrich Kohl proposed a new genus for the gerenuk, Litocranius.[6] The common name derives from the Somali name for the animal (gáránúug); the first recorded use of the name dates back to 1895.[7] It is also known as the "giraffe gazelle" due to its similarity to the giraffe.[8]
Two subspecies have been proposed, but these are considered to be independent species by some authors.[3][9][10][11]
In 1997 Colin Groves proposed that Litocranius is a sister taxon of the similarly long-necked dibatag (Ammodorcas clarkei), but withdrew from this in 2000.[3] A 1999 phylogenetic study based on cytochrome b and cytochrome c oxidase subunit III analysis showed that the tribe Antilopini, to which the gerenuk belongs, is monophyletic.[12] In 2013, Eva Verena Bärmann and colleagues (of the University of Cambridge) revised the phylogeny of tribe on the basis of nuclear and mitochondrial gene analysis. The cladogram prepared by them (given below) showed that the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) forms a clade with the gerenuk; this clade is sister to the saiga (Saiga tatarica, tribe Saigini) and the genera Antilope (blackbuck), Eudorcas, Gazella and Nanger (of Antilopini).[13]
Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) 
Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri)
Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) .jpg){kind=small}
Saiga (Saiga tatarica) .jpg)
Oribi (Ourebia ourebi) _male_(18172324646).jpg){kind=small}
The gerenuk is a notably tall, slender antelope that resembles gazelles. It is characterised by its long, slender neck and limbs, the flat, wedge-like head and the large, round eyes. Males are nearly 89–105 cm (35–41+1⁄2 in) tall, and the shorter females 80–100 cm (31–39 in); the head-and-body length is typically between 140 and 160 cm (55 and 63 in). Males weigh between 31 and 52 kg (68 and 115 lb); females are lighter, weighing 28–45 kg (62–99 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic. The tail, that ends in a black tuft, measures 25–35 cm (10–14 in).[10][14]
Two types of colouration are clearly visible on the smooth coat: the reddish brown dorsal parts (the back or the "saddle"), and the lighter flanks, fawn to buff. The underbelly and insides of the legs are cream in colour. The eyes and the mouth are surrounded by white fur. Females have a dark patch on the crown. The horns, present only on males, are lyre-like ("S"-shaped). Curving backward then slightly forward, these measure 25–44 cm (10–17+1⁄2 in).[14][10]
The gerenuk resembles the dibatag, with which it is sympatric in eastern and central Somalia and southeastern Ethiopia. Both are brachyodonts and share several facial and cranial features, along with a two-tone colouration of the coat and strong thick horns (only in males).[15] However, there are also some features distinguishing it from the gerenuk, including major morphological differences in horns, horn cores, tail, postorbital area and basioccipital processes. The gerenuk has a longer, heavier neck and a shorter tail.[10] A finer point of difference is the absence of an inward-curving lobe in the lower edge of the ear (near its tip) in the gerenuk.[15] The subspecies of the gerenuk are similar in colouration; the southern gerenuk is the smaller of the two.[10]
The gerenuk is a diurnal animal (active mainly during the day), though it typically stands or rests in shade during the noon. Foraging and feeding is the major activity throughout the day; females appear to spend longer time in feeding. The gerenuk may expose itself to rain, probably to cool its body.[16] The social structure consists of small herds of two to six members. Herds typically comprise members of a single sex, though female herds additionally have juveniles. Some males lead a solitary life.[10]
Fighting and travel are uncommon, possibly as a strategy to save energy for foraging.[8] Both sexes maintain home ranges 3–6 km2 (1–2+1⁄2 sq mi) large, and might overlap. Those of males are scent-marked with preorbital gland secretions and guarded - hence these may be termed territories. The sedentary tendency of the antelope appears to increase with age.[11]
Primarily a browser, the gerenuk feed on foliage of bushes as well as trees, shoots, herbs, flowers and fruits.[17] It can reach higher branches and twigs better than other gazelles and antelopes by standing erect on its hindlegs and elongating its neck; this helps it reach over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) above the ground.[11] Acacia species are eaten whenever available,[11] while evergreen vegetation forms the diet during droughts.[14] The pointed mouth assists in extracting leaves from thorny vegetation.[11] The gerenuk does not drink water regularly.[17] Major predators of the antelope include African wild dogs, cheetahs, hyenas, lions and leopards.[10]
Gerenuk reproduce throughout the year. Females reach sexual maturity at around one year, and males reach sexual maturity at 1.5 years, although in the wild they may only be successful after acquiring a territory (perhaps 3.5 years).[17] The gestation period is about seven months. They are born one at a time, weighing about 3 kg (7 lb) at birth. Offspring were produced through artificial insemination for the first time in 2010 at White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Florida. Four female calves were born, and one of the four was later inseminated successfully by White Oak and SEZARC (South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation), creating a second generation of calves born from artificial insemination.[18] Gerenuk can live thirteen years or more in captivity, and at least eight years in the wild.[17]
The gerenuk (/ˈɡɛrɪnʊk, ɡəˈrɛnək/; Somali: garanuug; Litocranius walleri), also known as the giraffe gazelle, is a long-necked, medium-sized antelope found in parts of East Africa. The sole member of the genus Litocranius, the gerenuk was first described by the naturalist Victor Brooke in 1879. It is characterised by its long, slender neck and limbs. The antelope is 80–105 centimetres (2 feet 7 inches – 3 feet 5 inches) tall, and weighs between 18 and 52 kilograms (40 and 115 pounds). Two types of colouration are clearly visible on the smooth coat: the reddish brown back or the "saddle", and the lighter flanks, fawn to buff. The horns, present only on males, are lyre-shaped. Curving backward then slightly forward, these measure 25–44 cm (10–17+1⁄2 in).
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