What Do Antelopes Eat? Antelope Diet & Feeding Explained

Q: 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

Q: Do Antelopes Drink Water?

It depends on the species and its diet: Water-dependent antelopesdrink every day or two. Waterbuck, kob, reedbuck and sitatunga stay near rivers, lakes and swamps. Water-independent antelopescan 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.

Q: Do Antelopes Eat Meat?

Almost never. Antelopes are herbivores. There are rare exceptions: Some duikersoccasionally eat insects, eggs or small animals as well as fruit and leaves. Antelopes sometimes chew bonesor eat soil to get minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.

Q: What Do Baby Antelopes Eat?

Calves drink their mother’s milkfor several weeks to months, depending on the species. Calves of many species hide in long grassat first, while the mother feeds nearby and returns to nurse. They start nibbling plantswithin a few weeks and are gradually weaned onto a full plant diet.

Q: 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.

Antelopes are herbivores, so they eat plants. Depending on the species, they eat:

grasses
leaves, shoots and twigsfrom 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.

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:

Quick eating:they swallow food quickly while feeding, which reduces the time they’re exposed to predators.
The rumen:food goes into the rumen, the first stomach chamber, where microbes start breaking down the tough plant fibre.
Chewing the cud:later, often while resting in shade, they bring the food back up and chew it again.
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 antelopesdrink every day or two. Waterbuck, kob, reedbuck and sitatunga stay near rivers, lakes and swamps.
Water-independent antelopescan 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 duikersoccasionally eat insects, eggs or small animals as well as fruit and leaves.
Antelopes sometimes chew bonesor 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 milkfor several weeks to months, depending on the species.
Calves of many species hide in long grassat first, while the mother feeds nearby and returns to nurse.
They start nibbling plantswithin 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?
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, 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:

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.