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derived from Medieval Latinant(h)alopus, which in turn comes from the Byzantine
Greek word anthlops, first attested in Eustathius of Antioch (circa 336), according to whom it was
a fabulous animal "haunting the banks of the Euphrates, very savage, hard to catch and having long,
saw-like horns capable of cutting down trees".[2] It perhaps derives from Greek anthos (flower)
and ops (eye), perhaps meaning "beautiful eye" or alluding to the animals' long eyelashes. This,
however, may be a later folk etymology. The word talopus and calopus, from Latin, came to be used
in heraldry. In 1607, it was first used for living, cervine animals.
Species
The 91 species, most of which are native to Africa, occur in about 30 genera. The classification of
tribes or subfamilies within Bovidae is still a matter of debate, with several alternative systems
proposed.
Antelope are not a cladistic or taxonomically defined group. The term is used to describe all
members of the family Bovidae that do not fall under the category of sheep, cattle, or goats. Usually,
all species of the Alcelaphinae, Antilopinae, Hippotraginae, Reduncinae, Cephalophinae,
many Bovinae, the grey rhebok, and the impala are called antelopes.