# Waterbuck (*Kobus ellipsiprymnus*)

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

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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 175.3 kg – 210 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 19.3 years – 30.4 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland, riverine, shrubland |
| Gestation | 270 days – 289 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.05 |
| Age at maturity | 2.11 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.1 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

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

## Common questions

### 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

- [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: Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/waterbuck