Compare Africa Species to America's Species..

Hi All,

I have asked the question on a form of comparison between African Antelope and American Antelope, i do understand it is difficult to compare in reality but on the basic information like height and weight it is possible..

The reason this is so interesting to me is because i myself has not seen most US species alive to have a real reference and i believe there is allot of people or first timers who has the same problem with African species.

So i created a comparison chart is that is what it can be called :-)

What is your opinion, does this help and do i have the information accurate ?

your opinion and input is appreciated..

Attachment 8765

Caribou and mule deer are generally bigger than whitetail deer...as a general rule. It should probably run down from Moose, Elk, Caribou, mule deer then whitetail. Very neat topic.

Thanks, i will change it..

i used data from the web, and i got so mush conflicting information..

Thanks..

It is a good subject and has been touched on before.

I believe there are dozens of little differences in behaviour, environment, anatomy and physiology between game from all continents that all add up to make comparisons interesting.

Comparisons are a good place to start when preparing for a hunt however when I hunt NZ or Africa I go to hunt the animals from NZ or Africa in their home environment. I don't think to myself hey, that's about the size of a large Kangaroo.

There is another mistake in the graphics, the Gemsbuck is a bit small in the pic, i will fix and upload changes..

does anyone have the correct information for the caribou ?

Thanks..

Good Point.. :-)

I am a very visual person, maybe that is why i want to see the difference in my mind..
it also makes a bit of sense to know some of this information while sitting around a camp fire and chatting to guests, at least have a perspective of the animals they are referring to..
or at least when i see them on hunting shows i know what to compare to in my known world..

the curse of "Animated vision :-)" see everything graphically...

a few people has asked me the question, so this is why i am trying to put in the effort to
create some form of a visual guide..

Thanks for your input..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Code4

It is a good subject and has been touched on before.

I believe there are dozens of little differences in behaviour, environment, anatomy and physiology between game from all continents that all add up to make comparisons interesting.

Comparisons are a good place to start when preparing for a hunt however when I hunt NZ or Africa I go to hunt the animals from NZ or Africa in their home environment. I don't think to myself hey, that's about the size of a large Kangaroo.

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Very nice and interesting chart MarvelAfrica! You're hired!

Certainly a great way to compare species at a glance. The chart is based on the metric system but would recommend adding to it the imperial measurement system (English system, inches / pounds), making it more "readable" to many.

If I may add, the most popular plains game species taken in South Africa are; to top the list, Impala (Aepyceros Melampus), Warthog (Phacochoerus Aethiopicus), Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus Strepsiceros), Blesbok (Damaliscus), Gemsbok (Oryx Gazella), Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes Taurinus), Burchell's Zebra (Equus Quagga Burchellii), Black Wildebeest (Conochaetes Gnou), Southern Bushbuck (Tragelaphus Scriptus Sylvaticus), Common Waterbuck (Kobus Ellipsiprymnus) and Springbok (Antidorca Marsupialis). Perhaps your chart could reflect some of these species... Not that I want you to change everything, primarily for information.

Perhaps you have done this on purpose to show the ranking between the different species more clearly but personally I would try to keep the scaling on the chart of the species closer to the actual scale. For instance if you look at the Kudu (1.3 m) in comparison to the Waterbuck (1.25 m), the Waterbuck appears significantly smaller than the Kudu on the chart even though there is only a 5 cm difference between the two, the chart should really show them as equal... If you look at the Moose at 2.1 meter, it does not clear your 2 meter mark... The Elk should also be the same size at the shoulder than the Eland... Did not check all of the species but something that you may want to do. Again, just my take on the chart.

The chart is really well done I hope that once you are satisfied with it that you will share it on AH!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarvelAfrica

does anyone have the correct information for the caribou ?

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I don't know for certain if correct, but from what I could gather; on average, Caribou males measure from 85 to 150 cm (33 to 59 in) at the shoulder and weigh 92 to 210 kg (200 to 460 lb), though exceptionally large males have weighed as much as 318 kg (700 lb).

For your chart purposes, I would take the higher number of the average/range provided as most hunters will take fully developed/mature males...

There are certainly many factors not taken into consideration on the NA side. Primarily there are several subspecies of vastly varying size on most species. Moose have Giant Alaska Yukon, Big Canada, and smaller Shiras varieties. Shiras will be similar or smaller han an elk. Caribou have an even bigger range as stated. Central Canada barrenground are 250lb while Mountain Caribou are 400 lb and there are actually 5 different sub-species of them in between. Whitetails can be 300lb (and bigger) northern giants or 80lb Coues Whitetails. Desert mulies, Rocky mountain mulies, the only species that varies little with only 1 huntable subspecies that covers the vast majority of their range is the Pronghorn, which is not actually an antelope at all but has its own distinct genus Antilocapra if Im not mistaken.

LOL good job though. I would make the changes already suggested by placing mule deer then Caribou between whitetail and elk. If you want you can add Bighorn sheep and Mountain Goat between Mule deer and Caribou as well, that would cover all branches of huntable NA ungulates. (although that may make your chart huge).

Diamondhitch hit the nail on the head. Mountain Caribou are bigger than Central Barren Caribou by 150 pounds. And Mule deer are bigger than whitetails on average. Unless you are hunting whitetails in Canada....I would put the weight of a whitetail at 200 pounds for a mature animal, yes there are bigger animals shot, but around the rut most bucks are worn down and don't weigh as much. Mule deer weigh between 125 pounds and 350 pounds. I think 275 pounds is very realistic.

Great idea.

Don't forget the Plains and Wood Bison folks!

"Wood Bison are the largest land mammals in North America.
A bull can stand up to two meters in height and weigh more than a tonne. Wood Buffalo National Park of Canada, Canada's largest national park, has the largest free-roaming bison herd in the world."

Although most folks don't get to hunt them.

You can hunt them in Alberta when they decide to leave that big park up north.


Good moves on the scale with the MD.

Thanks Jerome, for the info, i would like to add more species but i decided on working with
the same figure both sides.. but i will have to add more to it, i just tried to get animals resembling each other in some way.. but yes, there are species bit more suited and popular..

But i get the impressions i will not have a choice but to expand it more the challenge is just where to stop,
i think in you talk about 20+ Species if you want detail..

As for the Metric figures, i plan to add the imperial, but for now i just wanted to test the idea against the group..

and as for the scale, i have seen a few more discrepancies like you mentioned, i will fix them..

Thank you for the input.. i will update it and see if you guys agree..

Best regards
Marcel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AfricaHunting.com

Very nice and interesting chart MarvelAfrica! You're hired!

Certainly a great way to compare species at a glance. The chart is based on the metric system but would recommend adding to it the imperial measurement system (English system, inches / pounds), making it more "readable" to many.

If I may add, the most popular plains game species taken in South Africa are; to top the list, Impala (Aepyceros Melampus), Warthog (Phacochoerus Aethiopicus), Greater Kudu (Tragelaphus Strepsiceros), Blesbok (Damaliscus), Gemsbok (Oryx Gazella), Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes Taurinus), Burchell's Zebra (Equus Quagga Burchellii), Black Wildebeest (Conochaetes Gnou), Southern Bushbuck (Tragelaphus Scriptus Sylvaticus), Common Waterbuck (Kobus Ellipsiprymnus) and Springbok (Antidorca Marsupialis). Perhaps your chart could reflect some of these species... Not that I want you to change everything, primarily for information.

Perhaps you have done this on purpose to show the ranking between the different species more clearly but personally I would try to keep the scaling on the chart of the species closer to the actual scale. For instance if you look at the Kudu (1.3 m) in comparison to the Waterbuck (1.25 m), the Waterbuck appears significantly smaller than the Kudu on the chart even though there is only a 5 cm difference between the two, the chart should really show them as equal... If you look at the Moose at 2.1 meter, it does not clear your 2 meter mark... The Elk should also be the same size at the shoulder than the Eland... Did not check all of the species but something that you may want to do. Again, just my take on the chart.

The chart is really well done I hope that once you are satisfied with it that you will share it on AH!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by AfricaHunting.com

I don't know for certain if correct, but from what I could gather; on average, Caribou males measure from 85 to 150 cm (33 to 59 in) at the shoulder and weigh 92 to 210 kg (200 to 460 lb), though exceptionally large males have weighed as much as 318 kg (700 lb).

For your chart purposes, I would take the higher number of the average/range provided as most hunters will take fully developed/mature males...

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Thank you allot, i will update it to the figures you provided..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Diamondhitch

There are certainly many factors not taken into consideration on the NA side. Primarily there are several subspecies of vastly varying size on most species. Moose have Giant Alaska Yukon, Big Canada, and smaller Shiras varieties. Shiras will be similar or smaller han an elk. Caribou have an even bigger range as stated. Central Canada barrenground are 250lb while Mountain Caribou are 400 lb and there are actually 5 different sub-species of them in between. Whitetails can be 300lb (and bigger) northern giants or 80lb Coues Whitetails. Desert mulies, Rocky mountain mulies, the only species that varies little with only 1 huntable subspecies that covers the vast majority of their range is the Pronghorn, which is not actually an antelope at all but has its own distinct genus Antilocapra if Im not mistaken.

LOL good job though. I would make the changes already suggested by placing mule deer then Caribou between whitetail and elk. If you want you can add Bighorn sheep and Mountain Goat between Mule deer and Caribou as well, that would cover all branches of huntable NA ungulates. (although that may make your chart huge).

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This is something that challenged me when i did the research to get the sizes, there are so many variations of the same species.... what would you suggest, my thoughts are to use the most common one of the selection instead of adding every single variation.
my focus is on the North American Species more specifically the species US hunter would commonly hunt as that is the species they would be most familiar with..

Please forgive me for making assumptions, i am not at all familiar with your species, and i might make assumptions which are incorrect.. Please help me on the right way if this is the case..

The main idea of chart is to create a visual reference for the first time hunter.. they are usually very uncertain
about the species and what the resemble..
i have heard it a few times that a client is stunned that the animal is so much bigger, or they do not want to shoot the animal because it is smaller than they expected it to be.. this might not be very accurate but i think it relates to perceptions, everything in Africa is bigger.. then reality sets in... :-)

I have this firm believe that a educated client is a good client, and this i where i want to go, create graphics and images to help people relate or compare..

Thank you for your advice, i will find a way to use your suggestions..

Thanks for your efforts.

Use the most common North American species for your chart...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AfricaHunting.com

Use the most common North American species for your chart...

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Could you guide me with the list of the common species..

O, to answer your question earlier, yes, it would be great if you use it on this site,
and great if it could help people in the future..

Thanks..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarvelAfrica

Could you guide me with the list of the common species..

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I think that there are AH members better suited than me for that... Perhaps someone can chime in on that! You can also look at the Shot Placement Guide section of the forum as I believe to have covered the main North American species, click here.

The strange thing about America is we have a very diverce group of animals. Strange that as I am wrighting this more just keep poping up in my head. I just never realized it or thought about it. Grizzly bear/brown bear, polar bear(can't really hunt anymore, but thats a diff thread discussion), black bear, moose(5 sub spiecies I think), caribou(3 sub species I think), elk(don't know about these subspecies), mule deer, whitetail deer, blacktail deer, coues deer, sheep(not sure about these subspecies either), various pigs(not native) wolf, coyote, fox, mountain lion, bob cat. Those are the large to midsized game and preditors I can think of. More smaller game I won't mention. And I could be missing something.

Forgot about bison and pronghorn. As far as what is common in both America.....that's tuff. What is common for me here in Ohio is totally different than what is common in Washington state, and they are different than Colorado. Every area is different. There should be some animal in your chart that no matter where you come from someone could relate to an animal on the chart. You could just make a massive chart with all the animals on the planet while your at it!:D