and shrubs constitutes 60-80% of the diet throughout the year. Foliage from creepers and vines (such as Thunbergia guerkeana and some species of Cucurbitaceae and Convulvulaceae) forms 15-25% of the diet in the wet season. Fruits are consumed mainly in the dry season. Olfactory searching, much in the same posture as grazing, is used to find fallen fruits (such as Melia volkensii and Acacia tortilis), while small fruits (such as Commiphora species) are directly plucked from trees. The size and structure of its stomach also suggests its primary dependence on browse. The lesser kudu browses primarily at dusk or dawn, or nocturnally, and is sometimes associated with gerenuk and the impala. The lesser kudu and the gerenuk might compete for evergreen species in the dry season. However, unlike the gerenuk, the lesser kudu rarely prefers Acacia species and does not stand on its hindlegs while feeding. The lesser kudu does not have a great requirement for water, and can browse in arid environments. It eats succulent plants, such as the wild sisal, Sansevieria, and Euphorbia species in the dry season, and drinks water when sources are available. Reproduction Both the males and females become sexually mature by the time they are a year and a half old. However, males actually mate after the age of four to five years. Males and females are most reproductive till the age of 14 and 14–18 years, respectively, with the maximum age of successful lactation in females being 13–14 years. With no fixed breeding season, births may occur at any time of the year. A study at Dvůr Králové Zoo (Czech Republic) showed that 55% of the births occurred between September and December. A rutting male tests the urine of any female he encounters, to which the female responds by urinating. Having located a female in estrus, the male follows her closely, trying to rub his cheek on her rump, head, neck, and chest. He performs gasping movements with his lips. Finally, the male mounts the female, resting his head and neck on her back, in a similar way as other tragelaphines. The gestational period is 7-8 months, after which a single calf is born. A female about to give birth isolates herself from her group, and remains alone for some days afterward. The newborn calf weighs . Around 50% of the calves die within the first six months of birth, and only 25%