Antelope Mating - Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

Antelopes pursue so many different courtship and mating rituals that it is difficult to discuss all of them in detail. Breeding strategies can vary between full monogamy and a dominant breeding pair within a herd. In other species, males compete with each other every season for the right to breed with females.

Once the female is impregnated, gestation lasts anywhere between four and nine months. The mother produces only a single calf at a time, while twins are relatively rare. Because the calf is highly vulnerable at birth, they generally have two different strategies to protect the young. Most antelopes prefer to hide the calf in a concealed location, while the mother rejoins the herd or hunts on its own.

In the second strategy, the calf is expected to begin traveling immediately with the herd from almost the moment it is born. In exchange, the herd provides additional protection for the young calf.

The age of maturity varies widely between species. Some of these animal species come of age in as little as six months. Some take as long as eight years to fully develop. Females usually mature faster than males on average. Lifespan likewise can vary between three years and 28 years based on the species.

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