Beira (antelope)
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Beira | ||||||||||||||
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Dorcatragus megalotis Menges, 1894 |
The Beira (Dorcatragus megalotis) is a small antelope that inhabits arid regions of Somalia, Djibouti, and eastern Ethiopia.
The Beira stands 1.5 to 2 feet high at the shoulder and weighs between 20-25 pounds. It has a coarse, red-grey coat with a yellow-red face. It has long, 6-inch ears and the males of the species have short, straight horns. There is currently a captive-breeding program at the Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation in Qatar. The current captive population is about 50 beira.
The origin of the name 'beira' is from behra, its Somali name.