The common eland (Taurotragus oryx), also called the southern eland or the eland antelope, is a species of eland found in East and Southern Africa. It is domesticated for its leather and meat. Its habitat are savannahs, woodlands, and grasslands, but avoid dense forests.
Females are smaller than the males: females weigh 300–600 kilograms (660–1,320 pounds), measure 200–280 centimeters (79–110 inches) in length and 125–153 centimeters (49–60 inches) in height. Males weigh 400–942 kilograms (882–2,077 pounds), though they can weigh up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds), measure 240–345 centimeters (94–136 inches) in length and 150–183 centimeters (59–72 inches) in height.
The bovid family ancestors of the common eland arose approximately 20 million years ago in Africa during the early Miocene, with fossils found throughout Africa and France, but the best records are in sub-Saharan Africa. The first spiral-horned antelopes of the tribe Tragelaphini appear 6 million years ago during the late Miocene. An extinct ancestor of the common eland (Taurotragus arkelli) appears in the Pleistocene in northern Tanzania and the first common eland fossil appears in the Holocene in Algeria around 11,000 years ago.
Like other animals with horns, bulls butt head each other during the rutting season. Cows also have horns to defend their calves from predators such as lions and cheetahs.
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The DNA of the common eland is used for the Grassland Adaptation trait gene (added in the Secrets of Dr. Wu DLC) that can be used to make dinosaurs that prefer open grass areas over forest.
