Kob vs Deer
Kob and deer are two different types of animals, but often confused by people due to the lack or very low extent of knowledge about these animals. It is common that kobs being identified as a type of deer, but they are not. Therefore, should clear out these controversies by following the available literature about kob and deer. This article provides summarised such information on both kob and deer separately and performs a comparison between them as well in the end.
Kob
Kob, Kobus kob, enriches endemic fauna of Africa and its distribution ranges over a horizontal patch from Central through Western Africa. With their localities in distribution, there are three recognized subspecies of kob. Their males are larger and heavier than females. These robustly built males weigh over 90 kilograms and stand tall about 90 – 100 centimetres, while females weigh just over 60 kilograms and height at the shoulders is about 80 – 90 centimetres. The neck is highly muscular, especially in male kobs. The backwardly curved, long, pointed, and unbranched horns are more prominent in the males. Their coat colour varies from golden to reddish brown, but the white colour spot at the ventral upper neck is a good identification feature of kobs. They live in savannah grasslands, and they prefer to stay around water sources all year. However, these herbivorous grazers usually avoid flooded areas and steep slopes. Female kobs live in herds with their calves while males being more solitary than social. The family bonds are strong in among herd individuals. Females usually lead the way while they move from one place to another in search of food and water, which is an indication of a matriarchal society.
Deer
Deer are ruminants belong in the Family: Cervidae with about extant 62 species. Their habitat ranges vastly from deserts and tundra to rainforests. These terrestrial ruminants naturally range in almost all the continents except Antarctica and Australia. However, there is only one native species living in the African continent, the Red deer of the Atlas Mountains. Physical characteristics viz. size and colour differ vastly among species. The weight ranges from 30 to 250 kilograms depending on the species. There are exceptions to both ends of the weight range as moose could be as high as 430 kilograms and Northern Pudu is about only 10 kilograms. Deer do not have permanent horns, but branched antlers are present, and they shed them annually. Their facial glands in front of the eyes produce pheromones those are useful as landmarks. Deer are browsers, and the alimentary tract contains a rumen associated with the liver without a gall bladder. They mate annually, and the gestation period is about 10 months varying with the species; larger species have a longer pregnancy. Only the mother provides the parental care for the calves. They live in groups called herds, and forage together. Therefore, whenever a predator gets around, they communicate and alarm to move out as soon as possible. Usually, a deer lives about 20 years.
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What is the difference between Kob and Deer? • Kob is only found in Africa while deer are distributed all over the world. • Kob is a single species of the Family: Bovidae, whereas deer is a group of more than 60 species of Cervidae mammals. • Kob is a herbivorous mammal while there are some deer species with omnivorous feeding habits. • The neck is thicker in kobs than in most of the deer species. • Kob has unbranched and wrinkled permanent horns, while deer have branched annually shed antlers. • Male kobs are solitary or living in bachelor herds, whereas both male and female deer live in the same herd.
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