Henry Durant, age 10, of Biloxi, Miss., for his question:

WHAT IS THE LARGEST ANTELOPE?

Antelope belong to the same animal family as goats and oxen but they look much more like deer because most of them are slender and graceful. Largest antelope is the eland which may stand six feet tall at the shoulder and weigh as much as 1,500 pounds.

There are two types of elands. They are found in the wilds of Africa. The common eland lives in an area from Kenya west to Angola and south to South Africa. The Derby eland lives in the area from Sudan to Senegal and Gambia and south to Congo.

All elands have long, spiraled horns and tufted, cattlelike tails. A fold of skin called a dewlap hangs from the neck. The eland is a calm and graceful animal that can run as fast as a horse and spring high into the air.

The eland's color varies from deep chestnut or bluish gray to pale buff or fawn. Most elands have from eight to 15 vertical white stripes on their sides and a black strip down their backs. Black patches cover the backs of the forelegs above the knees.

Herds of up to 200 elands browse on partly forested land and open plains. In dry seasons, elands live for weeks without water.