CreatureData

Royal antelope

Neotragus pygmaeus (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernmammals

The royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) is a species in the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla. Recorded adults weigh 4 kg to 4.2 kg and live up to 12 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus)
Photo: Mirko Raner · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the royal antelope

Weight
4 kg – 4.2 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
12 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
15.9 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
188 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
16 months – 22.5 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the royal antelope live?

Not recorded

What is the royal antelope?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) is a West African antelope recognized as the world's smallest. It was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It stands up to merely 25 cm (10 in) at the shoulder and weighs 2.5–3 kg (5.5–6.6 lb). A characteristic feature is the long and slender legs, with the hindlegs twice as long as the forelegs. Horns are possessed only by males; the short, smooth, spiky horns measure 2.5–3 cm (0.98–1.18 in) and bend backward. The soft coat is reddish to golden brown, in sharp contrast with the white ventral parts. In comparison to Bates's pygmy antelope, the royal antelope has a longer muzzle, broader lips, a smaller mouth and smaller cheek muscles.

Typically nocturnal (active at night), the royal antelope exhibits remarkable alertness. Territories are marked with dung. An herbivore, the royal antelope prefers small quantities of fresh foliage and shoots; fruits and fungi may be taken occasionally. Like other neotragines, the royal antelope is monogamous. Both sexes can become sexually mature by as early as six months. Births have been reported in November and December. A single, delicate young is born after an unknown gestational period.

The royal antelope prefers areas with fresh and dense growth of shrubs and other plants. It inhabits the warm, moist lowland forests prevalent in western African countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The royal antelope has been categorized as Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The population is feared to be declining due to habitat deterioration and expanding human settlement. A significant threat to the survival of this antelope is hunting for bushmeat.

From the Wikipedia article “Royal antelope” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Royal_antelope&oldid=1362079736), 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 royal antelope endangered?

The royal antelope is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the royal antelope classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderArtiodactyla
  5. familyBovidae
  6. genusNeotragus
  7. SpeciesNeotragus pygmaeus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Capra pygmaea, Capra pygmea, Neotragus pygmaeus

Other names and names in other languages (9)
  • AdowaEnglish
  • AdowaEnglish
  • SagbeneEnglish
  • SagbeneEnglish
  • antílope realAsturian
  • KleinstbokchenGerman
  • KleinstböckchenGerman
  • ZwergspringerGerman
  • Antilope royaleFrench

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the royal antelope

Other species in the same genus Neotragus.

Suni (Neotragus moschatus)

Suni

Neotragus moschatus

Bovidae

CompareRoyal antelope vs SuniRoyal antelope vs Dwarf antelopeRoyal antelope vs Mountain suniRoyal antelope vs Livingstone's suni

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the royal antelope?

An adult royal antelope weighs 4 kg – 4.2 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the royal antelope endangered?

The royal antelope is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the royal antelope live?

The royal antelope has a recorded lifespan of 12 years.

How long is the royal antelope pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 188 days.

What kind of animal is the royal antelope?

The royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) belongs to the family Bovidae in the order Artiodactyla.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/royal-antelope

MLA

“Royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/royal-antelope.

BibTeX
@misc{royal_antelope_2026,
  title = {Royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/royal-antelope},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}