Topi (Damaliscus lunatus [Burchell, 1823]) males engage in ritual sparring and often kneel, probably not in submission, but to gain advantage in stabbing with their horns the soft spots underneath the head and neck of their opponents. This pair was photographed in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.
Topi are native to Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Although their numbers have decreased over the last 100 years, they are not considered at risk, numbering about 300,000 to 400,000, with about 25% in protected conservation areas. However, they are thought to be possibly extinct in Togo and regionally extinct in Burundi, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, and Senegal. They have been reintroduced in Swaziland.
Reference: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.3. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/6235/0 . Downloaded on 02 September 2010.
