Patterson's eland is the largest of all the African antelopes. It stands six feet tall at the shoulder and weighs up to 1,100 pounds. Despite its massive size, it can leap over three feet high and does so for no apparent reason. Males are gray and females are a reddish-tan. It has a prominent fold of loose skin, called a dewlap, that hangs from its neck as well as a large hump on the back above the shoulders. Its horns are spiraled and extend straight back.
The Patterson's eland has many characteristics of the cow. Also, like the cow, it is highly susceptible to [G 40 / rinderpest] and the population in the Serengeti was nearly wiped out in the epidemics of the first part of the century. Today the eland population is over 10,000 in the region.
