Waterbuck are fascinating creatures. Their reindeer-like appearance and love of water distinguishes them from the other antelope we find at Londolozi. The mere presence of waterbuck in an area indicates the health of the environment. An area abounding in waterbuck is healthy.
Fortunately, we seem to have a thriving waterbuck population at the moment. Although us rangers might be pleased with the growing waterbuck population, the big territorial waterbuck bulls may be more circumspect in their assessment. More waterbuck does mean more females for the bulls to mate with, however it also implies more competition from rival males. Waterbuck territorial behavior can be complex; therefore, I have decided to highlight the key attributes to make understanding their behavior a little bit easier.
As their name suggests, waterbuck are highly dependent on water. They drink often and prefer to graze the lush grass growing close to water. Therefore, waterbuck bulls try to establish territories close to water in order to control the prime grazing areas. The other upshot of controlling the sought-after real estate is that it attracts female waterbuck. Since female waterbuck are very selective about where they spend their time, competition among waterbuck males is fierce.
In order to reach the point where a male waterbuck can challenge for a territory, he needs to go through a couple of stages of development:
The Early Years
For male waterbuck, the competitive way of life begins at an early age. As soon as the young males are weaned (at around 6-8 months) they are forced out of the herd by the dominant males. Once out of the herd the youngsters form small bachelor groups. These bachelor herds provide safety in numbers for the young, inexperienced waterbuck. Within the bachelor herd there is stiff competition for hierarchy, with the older and bigger males coming out on top. The dominant male waterbuck in the area will tolerate the bachelor herds provided the young males are submissive. As the young bachelors approach sexual maturity, they move out of the bachelor herd and begin looking for a territory of their own.
The Apprentice Years
Although waterbuck reach sexual maturity at around six years old, they are unlikely to walk straight into the prime territories right away. As a result, many aspiring young bulls become satellite males. A satellite male is a submissive younger male waterbuck that helps the dominant male defend his territory. By acting as a satellite male, the younger bull gets his foot in the door for a prime territory that he stands to inherit, should anything happen to the dominant male. This is a mutually beneficial relationship because the dominant male has a better chance of protecting his prime territory. Eventually, however, the satellite males outgrow their rank and enter the phase of challenging for a territory of their own.
The Dominance Years
Waterbuck males fight often compared to other antelope. This is most probably due to their desire to mate with the females that only really congregate in the resource rich areas. These resource rich areas can only be controlled by relatively few males, and this results in a never-ending source of conflict. To prevent conflict, the dominant male will caution other males by standing in the open with his head and horns held high. Should a challenging male disregard the dominant male’s posturing, the situation will begin to escalate. The dominant male will approach his adversary slowly until the pair are close to one another. Should their differences not be resolved, a full-on fight could break out. A waterbuck fight can be very intense with the two males locking horns and grappling, attempting to gore the opponent’s flanks. The loser of such a fight will usually take off quickly to avoid further injury. Occasionally, the fight is more serious and can leave either of the two fatally injured.
Eventually the time comes where the dominant male waterbuck has to relinquish his territory. At this stage he will revert back to being a submissive bull and live out his years as a solitary old bull – an honor bestowed only to the finest waterbuck warriors. Becoming a dominant male is not easy but should a male waterbuck make it to this stage he will be sure to pass on his superior genes to the next generation.