Taxonomy
The giant eland was first described in 1847 by John Edward Gray, a British zoologist, who called it Boselaphus derbianus. At that time, it was also called the 'black-necked eland' and Gingi-ganga.
Giant eland is placed in the genus Taurotragus of family Bovidae. Giant elands are sometimes considered part of the genus Tragelaphus on the basis of molecular phylogenetics, but are usually categorized as Taurotragus, along with the common eland (T. oryx). Giant eland and common eland are the only antelopes in the tribe Tragelaphini to be given a generic name other than Tragelaphus. Although some authors, like Theodor Haltenorth, regarded the giant eland as conspecific with the common eland, they are usually considered two distinct species.
Two subspecies of giant eland have been recognized:
- T. d. derbianus – western giant eland, found in western Africa, particularly Senegal to Mali
- T. d. gigas – eastern giant eland, found in central to eastern Africa, particularly Cameroon to South Sudan
Read more about this topic: Giant Eland