The A - Z April Challenge: T...and Camera Critters

I'm afraid I've been unwell for a few days, and am remiss in returning visits. I appreciate the kind comments and will pop over to see each of you  soon. In the meantime, here is today's brief offering...

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T is for Topi

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 The Topi is a handsome antelope that inhabits the flood plains and open savannahs of East Africa from southern Sudan to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Though smaller in stature than his cousin the Hartebeest, there is a definite resemblance between the two.

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Topis have an amazing glossy coat that seems iridescent in the sunlight. They are a rich reddish-brown colour, mixed with patches of purple. Dark masks mark their faces, and their pale lower legs resemble stockings.

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Among the most socially advanced of the antelopes, Topis live in herds of 15 to 20, with both males and females defending their territory. They are in greatest danger from lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas.

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The gregarious Topi spends a good part of his life alongside zebras, ostriches, and other antelopes. Although not in any immediate threat of extinction, populations are scattered and isolated as a result of human encroachment and hunting.

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For more A - Z posts, be sure to pop by Arlee Bird's site and see what others have done with the letter T...
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http://www.tossingitout.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-special-and-exciting
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I am also linking to Misty Mawn's Camera Critters...do stop by and have a look at the super entries...
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.http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/