Waterbuck
Kobus ellipsiprymnus (Ogilby, 1833)
The waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is a mammal of the family Bovidae, in the subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Reduncini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial herbivore with an adult body mass of 210 kg and a cathemeral activity pattern.
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Quick facts about the waterbuck
- Weight
- 175.3 kg – 210 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 19.3 years – 30.4 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- grassland, riverine, shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 270 days – 289 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.05src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2.11 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the waterbuck
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the waterbuck live?
Not recorded
What is the waterbuck?
The waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is in the genus Kobus of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. Its 13 subspecies are grouped under two varieties: the common or ellipsiprymnus waterbuck and the defassa waterbuck. Their coat colour varies from brown to grey. The long, spiral horns, present only on males, curve backward, then forward, and are 55–99 cm (22–39 in) long.
Waterbucks are rather sedentary in nature. As gregarious animals, they may form herds consisting of six to thirty individuals. These groups are either nursery herds with females and their offspring or bachelor herds. Males start showing territorial behaviour from the age of five years, but are most dominant from six to nine. The waterbuck cannot tolerate dehydration in hot weather, and thus inhabits areas close to sources of water. Predominantly a grazer, the waterbuck is mostly found on grassland. In equatorial regions, breeding takes place throughout the year, but births are at their peak in the rainy season. The gestational period lasts 7–8 months, followed by the birth of a single calf.
Waterbucks inhabit scrub and savanna areas along rivers, lakes, and valleys. Due to their requirement for grasslands and water, waterbucks have a sparse ecotone distribution. The IUCN lists the waterbuck as being of least concern. More specifically, the common waterbuck is listed as of least concern, while the defassa waterbuck is near threatened. The population trend for both is downwards, especially that of the defassa, with large populations being eliminated from certain habitats because of poaching and human disturbance.
From the Wikipedia article “Waterbuck” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Waterbuck&oldid=1381882057), 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 waterbuck endangered?
The waterbuck is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the waterbuck classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderArtiodactyla
- familyBovidae
- genusKobus
- SpeciesKobus ellipsiprymnus (Ogilby, 1833)
Synonyms Antilope ellipsiprymnus, Kobus ellipsiprymnus adolfifriderici, Kobus ellipsiprymnus annectens, Kobus ellipsiprymnus crawshayi, Kobus ellipsiprymnus ellipsiprymnus, Kobus ellipsiprymnus harnieri, Kobus ellipsiprymnus kondensis, Kobus ellipsiprymnus pallidus, Kobus ellipsiprymnus penricei, Kobus ellipsiprymnus thikae, Kobus ellipsiprymnus tjaederi, Kobus ellipsiprymnus tschadensis, Kobus ellipsiprymnus unctuosus
Other names and names in other languages (50)
- Common waterbuckEnglish
- Crawshay waterbuckEnglish
- Ellipsen waterbuckEnglish
- Ellipsen waterbuckEnglish
- Rhodesian waterbuckEnglish
- KringgatAfrikaans
- ValentynsbokAfrikaans
- WaterbokAfrikaans
- حتيتArabic
- كتمبورArabic
- ظبي الماءArabic
- ظبي الماء رودسياArabic
- ظبي الماء كروشايArabic
- antílope acuáticuAsturian
- Antílop acuàticCatalan
- voduška velkáCzech
- VandbukDanish
- WasserbockGerman
- Ellipsen-WasserbockGerman
- HirschantilopeGerman
- ΝεροαντιλόπηGreek
- Antilope de AguaSpanish
- Antílope acuáticoSpanish
- vesiantilooppiFinnish
- Cobe onctueuxFrench
- Antilope sing-singFrench
- Cobe à croissantFrench
- gyűrűsfarkú víziantilopHungarian
- Cobo comuneItalian
- Antilope d'AcquaItalian
- ウォーターバックJapanese
- Isidumukakck
- 물영양Korean
- Dhumukwakth
- Vandeninis ožysLithuanian
- EllipsevannbukkNorwegian Bokmål
- Gewone WaterbokDutch
- kob śniadyPolish
- Cob-untuosoPortuguese
- Cobo-de-crescentePortuguese
- Antilopă de apăRomanian
- Обыкновенный водяной козёлRussian
- elipsasta obvodna antilopaSlovenian
- PitlhwaTswana
- leTemogaTswana
- leTimogaTswana
- 水羚Chinese
- 水羚/非洲大羚羊Chinese
- PhivaZulu
- IphivaZulu
Relatives of the waterbuck
Other species in the same genus Kobus.
Kob
Kobus kob
Lechwe
Kobus leche
Puku
Kobus vardonii
Nile lechwe
Kobus megaceros
Upemba lechwe
Kobus anselli
White-eared kob
Kobus leucotis
CompareWaterbuck vs KobWaterbuck vs LechweWaterbuck vs PukuWaterbuck vs Nile lechwe
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 a waterbuck?
The waterbuck is a mammal of the family Bovidae, placed in the subfamily Antilopinae and the tribe Reduncini.
How heavy is a waterbuck?
An adult waterbuck has a body mass of 210 kg, with a lowest reported value of 175 kg. It falls in the large size class.
What does a waterbuck eat?
The waterbuck is a herbivore.
Is the waterbuck endangered?
No. The waterbuck is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a waterbuck live?
The waterbuck has a lifespan of 19.3 years, and values up to 30.4 years are reported.
How many young does a waterbuck have?
A waterbuck has 1 young per litter, after a gestation period of 270 days.
At what age does a waterbuck reach sexual maturity?
A waterbuck reaches sexual maturity at 2.1 years (771 days).
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). Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/waterbuck
“Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/waterbuck.
@misc{waterbuck_2026,
title = {Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/waterbuck},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}