Fish Eagle's COPY Tsessebe Coin (Destroyed)

Roam anywhere in the world, collecting the flags of the countries that I visit.

This is a COPY coin. Sadly, the original coin was lost in muggled cache in Kwazulu-Natal.

To make it more interesting for you, we have attached one of the original South African non-trackable geocoins which were made by Geocacher_coza in 2005.

We live close to the Kruger National Park, which we visit frequently, and love dearly. We have dedicated this series of personal geocoins to some of the special animals found in the Park.

TSESSEBE  (Damaliscus Lunatus)

Appearance
Bulls have a mass of 140 Kg and measure 1.2 m at the shoulders, and are slightly larger than cows which weigh approximately 120 Kg. Both sexes grow horns, but those on bulls are heavier. When viewed from the front the horns appear typical ‘halfmoon’ shaped. It has a dark face with purple blotches on the shoulders, whereas the withers and upper body are reddish-brown.

Diet
They are grazers which utilise a wide range of grass species. They select the leaf over the stems. They prefer fresh growth, and are attracted to burnt areas.

Breeding
Seasonal breeders, which in South Africa give birth during September / October to single calves, after a gestation period of seven months. The rut takes place during mid-February and continues through to March. During the mating season elaborate displays by the bulls form part of the mating ritual.

Behaviour
Tsessebe are social animals and their basic group structure consists of small breeding groups, each comprising of six to ten cows with their offspring. Bachelor groups and territorial bull herds may sometimes number up to 30 strong. This is especially noticeable near water and favourable gazing. Breeding herds consisting of cows are not restricted to a specific territory. In areas where tsessebe occur in higher densities, bulls establish typical ‘lek’ system territories. Young bulls form bachelor groups at the age of one year as they are pushed out of herds.

Where they are found
They belong to the same family as the Wildebeest and the Hartebeest, all of whom are characterised by an ungainly appearance as a result of their shoulders being higher than the withers. Only one of the several subspecies that are recognized, occur in the Subregion. In South Africa the tsessebe are confined to northern savannah woodlands. They are mostly confined to the Kruger National Park and some provincial game reserves. They have also been re-introduced to some private game farms.

Dec06 - South Africa

Aug07 - South Africa - Copy Released

Jun08 - United Kingdom

Jun09 - Greece

Jun09 - Finland