--- title: "What Do Antelopes Eat" canonical: "https://ugandawildlifetours.com/what-do-antelopes-eat/" source: "https://ugandawildlifetours.com/what-do-antelopes-eat/" author: "admin" publisher: "Uganda Wildlife Tours" published: "2026-10-20" modified: "2026-10-20" language: "engli" image: "https://ugandawildlifetours.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/What-do-antelopes-eat.jpeg" word_count: 1413 --- # What Do Antelopes Eat > **Summary:** What Do Antelopes Eat? Antelope Diet & Feeding Explained Antelopes are herbivores, so they eat plants. Depending on the species, they eat: grasses leaves, shoots and twigsfrom shrubs and trees ... --- # ****What Do Antelopes Eat? Antelope Diet & Feeding Explained**** ****Antelopes are herbivores, so they eat plants.**** Depending on the species, they eat: - ****grasses**** - ****leaves, shoots and twigs****from shrubs and trees - ****herbs, flowers, fruit and seeds**** - ****water plants**** ****Antelopes fall into three feeding groups:****| Group | What they eat | Examples | | --- | --- | --- | | ****Grazers**** | Mainly grass | Uganda kob, topi, hartebeest, waterbuck, oribi | | ****Browsers**** | Mainly leaves, shoots and twigs | Bushbuck, duikers, dik-dik, lesser kudu | | ****Mixed feeders**** | Both, changing with the season | Impala, eland | ****How they digest it:**** antelopes are ****ruminants****. They have a ****four-chambered stomach**** and ****chew the cud****, which lets them get energy from tough plant material. ![What Do Antelopes Eat](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/What-do-antelopes-eat.jpeg) ### ****Antelope Diet at a Glance**** | Feature | Details | | --- | --- | | Diet type | Herbivore (plants only, with rare exceptions) | | Main foods | Grass, leaves, shoots, twigs, herbs, fruit, seeds, flowers, water plants | | Digestion | Ruminant: a four-chambered stomach, chewing the cud | | Feeding times | Mostly early morning, late afternoon and at night, resting in the midday heat | | Water | Some drink daily (e.g. waterbuck, kob); others get most of their water from plants (e.g. dik-dik, gerenuk) | | Minerals | Many visit salt licks or eat mineral-rich soil | | Young | Calves drink their mother’s milk, then gradually start eating plants | ## ****The Three Antelope Feeding Groups**** ### ****1. Grazers: grass eaters**** ****Grazers**** eat mainly ****grass****, especially fresh green shoots after rain. They usually live on ****open plains and grasslands****, often in large herds. ****Grazing antelopes in Uganda:****- ****Uganda kob:****short grasses on open plains, often near water - ****Topi:****medium-height grasses; topi often stand on termite mounds to watch for predators - ****Jackson’s hartebeest:****coarser, drier grasses that other grazers leave - ****Defassa waterbuck:****grasses near rivers, lakes and swamps; needs to drink often - ****Oribi:****short, fresh grasses, especially after fires - ****Bohor reedbuck:****grasses in wet, long-grass areas ****Why grazers can share the same plains:**** different species eat ****different heights and types of grass****. Hartebeest take the coarse stems, topi the middle layer and kob the short grass. This is called ****resource partitioning****, and it lets many antelope species live side by side. ### ****2. Browsers: leaf eaters**** ****Browsers**** eat ****leaves, shoots, buds, twigs, flowers and fruit**** from shrubs and trees. They often live in ****woodland, thicket and forest****, alone or in small groups. ****Browsing antelopes in Uganda:****- ****Bushbuck:****leaves, shoots, herbs and fallen fruit in thickets and forest edges - ****Duikers****(blue, red and common or grey): ****fruit, leaves, flowers and seeds**** on the forest floor, often under trees where monkeys drop fruit - ****Kirk’s or Guenther’s dik-dik****(Kidepo): leaves and shoots of acacias and shrubs - ****Lesser kudu****(Kidepo): leaves and shoots of dry-country shrubs - ****Klipspringer:****leaves, shoots, flowers and fruit on rocky hills ### ****3. Mixed feeders: grass and leaves**** ****Mixed feeders**** switch between ****grazing**** and ****browsing**** depending on the season and what is available: - ****Impala****(found in Uganda only in ****Lake Mburo National Park****): grass in the wet season, leaves, shoots and seed pods in the dry season - ****Common eland****(Lake Mburo, Kidepo): Africa’s largest antelope, eating leaves, shoots, grass, fruit and even roots - ****Sitatunga:****a swamp antelope that eats ****papyrus, reeds, sedges and water plants****, and grass and leaves at the swamp edges ### ****What Do Antelopes Eat in Uganda?**** | Antelope | Diet | Where to see them in Uganda | | --- | --- | --- | | ****Uganda kob**** | Short grass | Queen Elizabeth NP (Kasenyi plains), Murchison Falls NP | | ****Topi**** | Medium grasses | Ishasha (Queen Elizabeth NP), Lake Mburo NP | | ****Jackson’s hartebeest**** | Coarse, dry grasses | Murchison Falls NP, Kidepo Valley NP | | ****Defassa waterbuck**** | Grass near water | Queen Elizabeth, Murchison, Lake Mburo | | ****Oribi**** | Short, fresh grass | Murchison Falls NP, Kidepo | | ****Impala**** | Grass and leaves (mixed) | Lake Mburo NP | | ****Common eland**** | Leaves, grass, fruit (mixed) | Lake Mburo NP, Kidepo Valley NP | | ****Bushbuck**** | Leaves, shoots, fruit | Most parks, especially near thickets and forests | | ****Sitatunga**** | Papyrus and water plants | Swamps, e.g. Lake Mburo and Mabamba-type wetlands | | ****Duikers**** | Fruit, leaves, flowers | Kibale, Bwindi and other forests | | ****Klipspringer**** | Leaves, shoots on rocky hills | Lake Mburo, Kidepo | | ****Dik-dik**** | Acacia leaves and shoots | Kidepo Valley NP | ### ****How Antelopes Digest Plants**** Plants are hard to digest, so antelopes have a special system: 1. ****Quick eating:****they swallow food quickly while feeding, which reduces the time they’re exposed to predators. 2. ****The rumen:****food goes into the ****rumen****, the first stomach chamber, where microbes start breaking down the tough plant fibre. 3. ****Chewing the cud:****later, often while resting in shade, they bring the food back up and ****chew it again****. 4. ****The other chambers:****the food then passes through the other three chambers (reticulum, omasum and abomasum), where nutrients are absorbed. ****This is why antelopes are often seen lying down and chewing**** in the middle of the day. They’re processing their morning meal. ### ****Do Antelopes Drink Water?**** It depends on the species and its diet: - ****Water-dependent antelopes****drink every day or two. Waterbuck, kob, reedbuck and sitatunga stay near rivers, lakes and swamps. - ****Water-independent antelopes****can go long periods without drinking. They get most of their water from ****leaves, fruit and morning dew****, for example dik-dik, gerenuk and oryx in dry regions. Many antelopes feed ****at night or at dawn****, when plants hold more moisture. ### ****Do Antelopes Eat Meat?**** ****Almost never.**** Antelopes are herbivores. There are rare exceptions: - ****Some duikers****occasionally eat ****insects, eggs or small animals**** as well as fruit and leaves. - Antelopes sometimes ****chew bones****or ****eat soil**** to get minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. ### ****How Seasons Change What Antelopes Eat**** - ****Wet season:****grass grows fast, so ****grazers**** feed on fresh green shoots, and many give birth when food is plentiful. - ****Dry season:****grass dries out, so ****mixed feeders**** switch to leaves and pods, and ****grazers**** move closer to rivers, swamps and recently burned areas where new grass sprouts. - ****After fires:****many grazers, such as oribi, kob and hartebeest, gather on burned ground to eat the fresh, nutritious regrowth. ### ****What Do Baby Antelopes Eat?**** - ****Calves drink their mother’s milk****for several weeks to months, depending on the species. - ****Calves of many species hide in long grass****at first, while the mother feeds nearby and returns to nurse. - ****They start nibbling plants****within a few weeks and are gradually weaned onto a full plant diet. ### ****Antelopes in the Food Chain**** Antelopes are ****primary consumers****: they eat plants and are eaten by predators. In Uganda, antelopes are the main prey for: - ****lions,****especially Uganda kob. See [what do lions eat?](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/what-do-lions-eat/) - ****leopards,****which often take bushbuck, duikers and kob - ****spotted hyenas**** - ****pythons and crocodiles,****at water’s edges - ****martial eagles,****which take young antelopes ### ****Where to See Antelopes Feeding in Uganda**** - ****Lake Mburo National Park:****the only park in Uganda with [****impala****](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impala), plus eland, topi, zebra and waterbuck. It’s great for ****walking and cycling safaris**** among grazing herds. - ****Queen Elizabeth National Park:****huge herds of ****Uganda kob**** on the Kasenyi plains, plus ****topi**** in Ishasha. - ****Murchison Falls National Park:********Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi, kob and waterbuck**** on the northern bank. - ****Kidepo Valley National Park:****dry-country antelopes such as ****eland, lesser kudu, dik-dik and klipspringer****. ****Best time:**** ****early morning and late afternoon game drives****, when antelopes are most actively feeding. ****Safaris to see antelopes:****- [Lake Mburo National Park](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/lake-mburo-national-park/) - [Cycling Safaris in Lake Mburo](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/cycling-safaris-in-lake-mburo/) - [3 Days Murchison Falls Safari](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/3-days-murchison-falls-safari/) - [7 Days Uganda Wildlife Safari](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/7-days-uganda-wildlife-safari/) ![What Do Antelopes Eat in the savanna](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/What-Do-Antelopes-Eat-in-the-savana.jpeg) ### ****FAQs: What Do Antelopes Eat?**** ****What do antelopes eat?**** Plants: grasses, leaves, shoots, twigs, herbs, fruit, flowers, seeds and, for some species, water plants. ****Are antelopes herbivores?**** Yes. Antelopes are herbivores and ruminants, with a four-chambered stomach that digests tough plant material. ****What is the difference between grazers and browsers?**** Grazers eat mainly grass (e.g. Uganda kob, topi), browsers eat mainly leaves and shoots (e.g. bushbuck, duikers), and mixed feeders eat both (e.g. impala, eland). ****What does a Uganda kob eat?**** Mainly short grasses on open plains, usually near water. ****What do impalas eat?**** Grass in the wet season, and leaves, shoots, flowers and seed pods in the dry season. In Uganda, impala live only in Lake Mburo National Park. ****Do antelopes need to drink water every day?**** Some do, such as waterbuck and kob. Others, such as dik-dik, get most of their water from the plants they eat. ****Do antelopes eat meat?**** Almost never. Some duikers occasionally eat insects or eggs, and antelopes sometimes chew bones or eat soil for minerals. ## ****Plan a Wildlife Safari in Uganda**** ****Uganda Wildlife Tours**** runs safaris to ****Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley**** national parks, where you can watch kob, topi, impala, eland and many other antelopes, and the predators that hunt them. [Contact us](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/contact-form/) or browse our [Uganda safaris](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/uganda-safaris/). #### ****Related Articles**** - [What Do Lions Eat?](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/what-do-lions-eat/) - [Lake Mburo National Park](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/lake-mburo-national-park/) - [Queen Elizabeth National Park](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/queen-elizabeth-national-park/) - [Murchison Falls National Park](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/murchison-falls-national-park/) - [Giraffes](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/giraffes/) - [Big Five Safari Experience](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/big-five-safari-experience/) --- *Source: [What Do Antelopes Eat](https://ugandawildlifetours.com/what-do-antelopes-eat/) · Published 2026-10-20 · Updated 2026-10-20* *Author: admin · Uganda Wildlife Tours*