Tsessebe

Tsessebe · Damaliscus lunatus

The tsessebe is reckoned to be the fastest antelope in Africa, built like a runner with a sloping back and long legs. Its coat is a rich reddish-brown with a glossy purplish sheen on the shoulders and dark patches on the legs. Both sexes carry short, ridged horns. They prefer open grassland and are not common, so spotting one is a real treat.

Log your Tsessebe sighting — free →

How to identify it

Look for the sloping back, dark face and purplish-sheened shoulders, redder and glossier than the paler hartebeest.

Look for its tracks

Long narrow cloven hoof, two pointed halves; like a wildebeest's but slimmer — built for speed.

Where to see it in Kruger

Rare and localised on open grassy plains, mainly in the northern park around the Nwanetsi and far-north areas.

Did you know

The tsessebe is thought to be the fastest antelope in Africa, able to gallop at around 90 kilometres an hour.

Often confused with

Red Hartebeest

See it? Log it — free.

MyKrugerHoliday is a free, offline field guide and one-tap sighting log for a Kruger self-drive. No ads, no account, works with no signal.

Open the app → Browse the field guide