this it was placed in the genus Damaliscus with the topi and given the scientific name Damaliscus hunteri. Newer theories have classified it as a subspecies of the topi (Damaliscus lunatus hunteri) or placed it within its own genus as Beatragus hunteri. Recent genetic analyses on karyotypic and mitochondrial DNA support the theory that the hirola is distinct from the topi and should be placed in its own genus. They also indicate that the hirola is in fact more closely related to Alcelaphus than to Damaliscus. Placing the hirola in its own genus is further supported by behavioural observations. Neither Alcelaphus nor Damaliscus engage in flehmen, where the male tastes the urine of the female to determine oestrus. They are the only genera of bovids to have lost this behaviour. Hirola still engage in flehmen although it is less obvious than in other species. The genus Beatragus originated around 3.1 million years ago and was once widespread with fossils found in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Tanzania and South Africa. Ecology The hirola is adapted to arid environments with annual rainfall averaging . Their habitats range from open grassland with light bush to wooded savannahs with low shrubs and scattered trees, most often on sandy soils. Despite the arid environments they inhabit, hirola appear to be able to survive independently of surface water. Andanje observed hirola drinking on only 10 occasions in 674 observations (1.5%) and all 10 observations of drinking occurred at the height of the dry season. Hirola do however favour short green grass and in 392 of 674 observations (58%) hirola were grazing on growths of short green grass around waterholes. This association with waterholes may have led to reports that hirola are dependent on surface water. Hirola are primarily grazers but browse may be important in the dry season. They favour grasses with a high leaf to stem ratio and Chloris and Digitaria species are believed to be important in their diet. Kingdon does not consider the ecological requirements of the hirola unusual and in fact considers them to be more generalist than either Connochaetes spp. or Damaliscus. A vet who examined the digestive tract of several hirola concluded that they were well adapted to eating dry region grasses and roughage. They feed on the dominant grasses of the region and Kingdon (1982) believes that quantity is more important than quality in the hirola's diet. Hirola are often found