Giant eland
Taurotragus derbianus (Gray, 1847)
Status not recordedmammals
The giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus) is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Bovinae and tribe Tragelaphini, also called the Derby eland, Derby's eland, Lord Derby's eland or Western giant eland. It is a terrestrial, diurnal herbivore that falls in the giant size class, with an adult body mass of 680 kg.
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Quick facts about the giant eland
It reaches sexual maturity at 2.5 years, and its lifespan is 23.6 years, with values up to 26.1 years reported.
- Weight
- 392.5 kg – 680 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 2.2 m – 2.9 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- 23.6 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 26.1 years
- Main food
- leavessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- grassland, woodlandsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 264 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 years – 4 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.14src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the giant eland?
Photos of the giant eland
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the giant eland live?
Not recorded
What is the giant eland?
The giant eland (Tragelaphus derbianus), also known as Lord Derby's eland or greater eland, is an open-forest and savanna antelope. A species of the family Bovidae and genus Tragelaphus, it was described in 1847 by John Edward Gray. The giant eland is the largest species of antelope, with a body length ranging from 220–290 cm (7.2–9.5 ft). There are two subspecies: T. d. derbianus and T. d. gigas.
The giant eland is a herbivore, eating grasses, foliage and branches. They usually form small herds consisting of 15–25 members, both males and females. Giant elands are not territorial, and have large home ranges. They are naturally alert and wary, which makes them difficult to approach and observe. They can run at up to 70 km/h (43 mph) and use this speed as a defence against predators. Mating occurs throughout the year but peaks in the wet season. They mostly inhabit broad-leafed savannas, woodlands and glades.
The giant eland is native to Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and South Sudan. It is no longer present in The Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Togo. It can also be found in the Jos wildlife park in Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, and Uganda. The subspecies have been listed with different conservation statuses by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
From the Wikipedia article “Giant eland” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Giant_eland&oldid=1378078174), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the giant eland endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the giant eland classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderArtiodactyla
- familyBovidae
- genusTaurotragus
- SpeciesTaurotragus derbianus (Gray, 1847)
Synonyms Boselaphus derbianus, Taurotragus derbianus derbianus, Taurotragus derbianus gigas, Tragelaphus derbianus
Other names and names in other languages (7)
- Derby elandEnglish
- Derby's elandEnglish
- Lord Derby's elandEnglish
- Western giant elandEnglish
- DerbyantilopeGerman
- Riesen-ElenantilopeGerman
- Éland de DerbyFrench
Relatives of the giant eland
Other species in the same genus Taurotragus.
Common eland
Taurotragus oryx
CompareGiant eland vs Common eland
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the giant eland?
The giant eland is a mammal in the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla. It belongs to the subfamily Bovinae and the tribe Tragelaphini.
How heavy is the giant eland?
The giant eland has an adult body mass of 680 kg. It is placed in the giant size class, meaning an adult body mass over 250 kg.
What does the giant eland eat?
The giant eland is a herbivore. It is a terrestrial animal that is active during the day.
How long does the giant eland live?
The giant eland has a lifespan of 23.6 years, with values up to 26.1 years reported by sources.
How many young does the giant eland have?
The giant eland has 1 young per litter, after a gestation period of 264 days, and averages 1.14 litters per year.
When does the giant eland reach sexual maturity?
The giant eland reaches sexual maturity at 2.5 years, with reported values from 2 to 4 years.
Who named the giant eland?
The giant eland, Taurotragus derbianus, was named by (Gray, 1847).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-eland
“Giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-eland.
@misc{giant_eland_2026,
title = {Giant eland (Taurotragus derbianus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-eland},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}