The Sable Antelope is a large and handsome antelope. Sable Antelope are characterised by glossy black coats with white under parts and white facial markings. Cows and young are dark brown in colour. Both sexes have stiff black manes along the dorsal aspects of their necks. The shoulder height of bulls is 1.4 m, which weigh up to 270 Kg.
They prefer open savannah woodlands or moist vleis, in which they select for medium height, good quality grass cover.
The historic range of Sable is much reduced today. In South Africa the distributional stronghold of this rare and endangered antelope is in the Kruger National Park. It is also seen in other protected areas to which Sable have been reintroduced, or introduced in areas where they have never occurred previously.