# Lechwe (*Kobus leche*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/lechwe  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The lechwe (Kobus leche), also called the red lechwe or southern lechwe, is a mammal of the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Reduncini. It is a large, terrestrial herbivore with a cathemeral activity pattern and an adult body mass of 110.7 kg. Gestation lasts from 213.1 to 243.5 days, a litter has 1 young, and sexual maturity comes at 2.5 to 2.9 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the lechwe as Near Threatened, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 91.7 kg – 110.7 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 22 years – 25.4 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Gestation | 213 days – 244 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.46 years – 2.87 years |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Kobus
- species: *Kobus leche* Gray, 1850

Synonyms: *Kobus leche leche*, *Kobus leche robertsi*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the lechwe?

The lechwe is a large terrestrial mammal in the family Bovidae and the order Artiodactyla.

### How heavy is a lechwe?

An adult lechwe weighs 110.7 kg. The lowest value reported by our sources is 91.72 kg.

### What does the lechwe eat?

The lechwe is a herbivore.

### Is the lechwe endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses the lechwe as Near Threatened, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a lechwe live?

The lechwe has a lifespan of 22 years, with values up to 25.4 years reported.

### What is the litter size and gestation period of the lechwe?

The lechwe has 1 young per litter after a gestation period of 229.4 days.

### Who named the lechwe?

The lechwe, Kobus leche, was named by Gray, 1850.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Lechwe (Kobus leche). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lechwe