many other animals do, giant elands scrape mineral lick sites with the help of horns to loosen soil. Giant elands are alert and wary, making them difficult to approach and observe or to hunt. If a bull senses danger, he will give deep-throated barks while leaving the herd, repeating the process until the whole herd is aware of the danger. Giant elands can move quickly, running at over , and despite their size are exceptional jumpers, easily clearing heights of . Their primary predators are the lion, nile crocodile and spotted hyena, while young, sickly and a rare adult may be vulnerable to leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs. Due to their large size, they prove a good meal for the predators. However, they are not easily taken by any predator, especially the heavier and larger horned bulls which can be a dangerous adversary even for a lion pride. Diet Primarily a herbivore, the giant eland eats grasses and foliage, as well as other parts of a plant. In the rainy season, they browse in herds and feed on grasses. They can eat coarse, dry grass and weeds if nothing else is available. They eat fruits too, such as plums. A study in South Africa showed that an eland's diet consists of 75% shrubs and 25% grasses, with highly varying proportions. They often use their long horns to break off branches. As they need a regular intake of water in their diet, they prefer living in places with a nearby water source. However, some adaptations they possess help them to survive even in the lack of water by maintaining a sufficient quantity of it in their body. They produce very dry dung compared to domestic cattle. In deserts, they can get their required water from the moisture of succulent plants. Another way in which they conserve water is by resting in the day and feeding at night, so that they minimize the water quantity required to cool themselves. Several studies have investigated the eland's diet. A study of giant elands in the Bandia Natural reserve in Senegal revealed that the most important and most preferred plants were various species of Acacia, Terminalia and Combretum, along with Azadirachta indica, Daniellia oliveri, Lonchocarpus laxiflorus, Gymnosporia senegalensis, Prosopis africana, Pterocarpus erinaceus, Saba senegalensis and pods of Piliostigma thonningii. Another study in Sudan showed that western giant elands preferred Cassia tora, which was the