Dance!

Most antelope males compete for dominance by fighting with their horns or chasing one another around. The winner ends with the mating rights for the contested female(s).

Nyalas have a far less violent method to solve such disputes. While younger bulls are seen regularly fighting with their horn in the common way, older specimen often show a very unusual behaviour.

They circle each other, facing the ground, fluffing up both tails and dorsal manes (white hairs on their back), and arching their heads forward. In this posture they very slowly ‘dance’ around one another.

Whichever one gives up first and walks away seems to be the looser. But I have seen both of them mating with different females soon after the ‘dance’.

I call them the ‘flower power antelope’ being very peaceful and rather free-spirited when it comes to mating 🙂

I took this pictures of two males ‘dancing’ yesterday afternoon.

Technical data: Canon R6 with RF lens f4-6.3/24-240mm | ISO 800 | 1/500sec | f6.7 | ev+0 | 200mm | WB 6500K | AV Mode | Crop to 10% of original image

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