sassaby

sassaby
/sas"euh bee/, n., pl. sassabies.
a large, blackish-red South African antelope, Damaliscus lunatus, having curved horns.
[1810-20; said to be < Tswana]

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mammal
      (genus Damaliscus), any of a few species of antelope belonging to the family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla) and inhabiting sub-Saharan grasslands, floodplains, and dense brush from western to eastern Africa and southward to southern Africa. Modern classifications are not uniform, but generally two subgenera and three species are recognized: the subgenus Beatragus, consisting of a single species, D. hunteri (Hunter's hartebeest, or hirola), found in eastern Kenya and southwestern Somalia; and the subgenus Damaliscus, consisting of two species, D. dorcas (the bontebok (bontebok/blesbok) [subspecies D. dorcas dorcas] and the blesbok [subspecies D. dorcas phillipsi]) and D. lunatus (topi), ranging widely from Senegal to Ethiopia and to South Africa.

      The sassabies stand shoulder-height about 90 to 120 cm (35 to 47 inches) and measure in body-and-head length from 130 to 200 cm (50 to 80 inches). The graceful lyre-shaped horns may extend as much as 70 cm (28 inches). The hair, generally iridescent and soft, ranges from gray to almost black or from red to rich brown and is often marked by contrasting white patches on the face, legs, or hips. The sassabies feed on grass.

      Once numbering in the tens of thousands, these antelopes have been decimated by hunting and encroachments by settlers.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sassaby — Sas sa*by, Sassabye Sas sa*bye, n. (Zo[ o]l.) A large African antelope ({Alcelaphus lunata}), similar to the hartbeest, but having its horns regularly curved. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sassaby — [sas′ə bē΄] n. pl. sassabies [Bantu tsèsèbè] a large, very swift, reddish South African antelope (Damaliscus lunatus) with a black back and face …   English World dictionary

  • Sassaby — Leierantilope Leierantilope (Damaliscus lunatus) Systematik Ordnung: Paarhufer (Artiodactyla) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sassaby — topi statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Damaliscus lunatus angl. korrigum; sassaby; South African sassaby; tiang; topi; tsessebe vok. Halbmondantilope; Korrigum; Leierantilope; Riesenleierantilope;… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • sassaby — topi statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Damaliscus lunatus angl. korrigum; sassaby; South African sassaby; tiang; topi; tsessebe vok. Halbmondantilope; Korrigum; Leierantilope; Riesenleierantilope;… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • sassaby — /ˈsæsəbi/ (say sasuhbee) noun (plural sassabies or, especially collectively, sassaby) a large, blackish red antelope, Damaliscus lunatus, of southern Africa; topi. {Tswana} …  

  • sassaby — sas·sa·by …   English syllables

  • sassaby — n. (pl. ies) a S. African antelope, Damaliscus lunatus, similar to the hartebeest. Etymology: Tswana tsesseacutebe, aacutebi …   Useful english dictionary

  • South African sassaby — topi statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Damaliscus lunatus angl. korrigum; sassaby; South African sassaby; tiang; topi; tsessebe vok. Halbmondantilope; Korrigum; Leierantilope; Riesenleierantilope;… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Alcelaphus lunata — Sassaby Sas sa*by, Sassabye Sas sa*bye, n. (Zo[ o]l.) A large African antelope ({Alcelaphus lunata}), similar to the hartbeest, but having its horns regularly curved. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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