Everyone remembers the giraffes, lions and elephants they see, but on our last safari in southern Africa the kudos also left quite an impression. I was especially fond of my photo of the bull kudo highlighted above. A large healthy specimen, he almost seems to be posing for me.
Known by some as the “grey ghost of Africa”, kudos are a gray to light brown color and are well camouflaged, blending in with the arid landscape. When they’re standing still they’re very hard to spot. But if moving, kudos have a smooth fluid movement like most antelopes, whether running or jumping. Bulls are characterized by a long set of spiral horns — dramatically sculpted — and weigh up to 300 kg; females are hornless and about half that size.
Kudus tend to be found in small groups, often as a standard family group with several females and their young, and one or two bulls. But sometimes there’s just a female group with no males, or a bachelor group of 2-3 bulls.
If you order “venison” in a restaurant in southern Africa, chances are you will be served kudo (which is very tender and tasty!). But they’re more fun to watch than to eat.
