Hartebeest

   Hartebeest is a large African antelope. Its shoulders are much higher than its hind-quarters, so the animal's back slopes to the rear. A hartebeest has a long, sad-looking face. Its ears are quite large. Its horns curve backward or outward, then forward and upward, and finally bend sharply backward and upward. Its tail looks like a cow's.
   Many different kinds of hartebeests are known. The Cape hartebeest grows from 4 to 5 feet high and has a reddish-brown coat with a white rump patch. It runs rapidly, despite its awkward appearance, and can easily outdistance a horse. It travels in herds of 15 to 50 animals. Once found throughout the open, grassy plains of South Africa, the hartebeest is now scarce.
   Scientific Classification. Hartebeests are in the bovid family, Bovidae. Cape hartebeests are genus Alcelaphus, species A, caama,