One of my favorite antelopes of South Africa is the Nyala. It is a spiral-horned antelope and a native. Their coats are rusty or rufous brown in females and juveniles, but grows a dark brown or slate grey, often tinged with blue, in adult males. Females and young males have ten or more white stripes on their sides. Only males have horns. As a herbivore, the nyala feeds upon foliage, fruits and grasses, close to fresh water. A shy animal, it prefers water holes rather than open spaces. Old males live alone, but single sex or mixed family groups of up to 10 individuals can be found. These inhabit thickets within dense and dry savanna woodlands. The main predators of the nyala are lion, leopard and wild dogs, while baboons and raptorial birds hunt for the juveniles. On each trip we see them carefully watching us.
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