# Sable antelope (*Hippotragus niger*)

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

The sable antelope (Hippotragus niger), also called the giant sable antelope or southern sable antelope, is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Hippotragini. It is a large, terrestrial, diurnal herbivore with an adult body mass of 227.5 kg. The sable antelope is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 227.5 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 22.2 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 22.3 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 259 days – 289 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.1 years – 3.24 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Hippotragus
- species: *Hippotragus niger* (Harris, 1838)

Synonyms: *Aigererus niger*, *Aigocerus niger*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the sable antelope?

The sable antelope is a mammal in the family Bovidae and order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial animal active by day.

### How heavy is a sable antelope?

An adult sable antelope has a body mass of 227.5 kg, with a lowest reported value of 225 kg.

### What does the sable antelope eat?

The sable antelope is a herbivore.

### Is the sable antelope endangered?

No. The sable antelope is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a sable antelope live?

The sable antelope has a lifespan of 22.2 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 22.25 years.

### When does a sable antelope reach sexual maturity?

The sable antelope reaches sexual maturity at 2.7 years, with reported values from 2.1 to 3.2 years.

## 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: Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sable-antelope