The common eland prefers habitats with a wide variety of flowering plants such as savannah, woodlands, and open and montane grasslands; it avoids dense forests.

It uses loud barks, visual and postural movements, and the flehmen response to communicate and warn others of danger.

[citation needed] It is native to Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, but is no longer present in Burundi.

While the common eland's population is decreasing, it is classified as of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In Dutch, the animal is called "eland antelope" to distinguish it from the moose, which is found in the northern boreal forests.

Bulls may also have a series of vertical white stripes on their sides (mainly in parts of the Karoo in South Africa).

[3] The common eland is the slowest antelope, with a peak speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) that tires them quickly.

[3] Eland herds are accompanied by a loud clicking sound that has been subject to considerable speculation.

Using material from East and Southern Africa, analysis of mitochondrial DNA control-region fragments from 122 individuals revealed information concerning the phylogeography, genetic diversity, and demographic history of the species.

However, a low density of elands exists in Africa due to poaching and human settlement.

The places inhabited by elands generally contain Acacia, Combretum, Commiphora, Diospyros, Grewia, Rhus, and Ziziphus trees and shrubs; some of these also serve as their food.

Juveniles and mothers tend to form larger herds, while males may separate into smaller groups or wander individually.

[3] In Southern Africa, common elands will often associate with herds of zebras, roan antelopes and oryxes.

[25] Common elands communicate via gestures, vocalizations, scent cues, and display behaviors.

[3] If eland bulls find any of their predators nearby, they bark and attempt to attract the attention of others by trotting back and forth until the entire herd is conscious of the danger.

[25] Some of their main predators include lions, African wild dogs, cheetahs, and spotted hyenas.

Using peripheral thermal receptors on the skin, elands can sense heat and increase or decrease evaporative cooling accordingly.

[27] Common elands use their sparse fur coats to dissipate excess heat via reradiation.

[30] Common elands are resistant to trypanosomiasis, a protozoan infection that has the tsetse fly as a vector, but not to the Rhipicephalus-transmitted disease theileriosis.

[31] A 2016 assessment for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List estimates the number of mature individuals to be 90,000-110,000, with populations considered stable or increasing in the countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania.

[1] The population is, however, gradually decreasing due to habitat loss, caused by expanding human settlements and poaching for its superior meat.

The IUCN states that about half of the estimated total population lives in protected areas and 30% on private land.

Protected areas that support major populations include Omo (Ethiopia), Serengeti, Katavi, Ruaha, and Selous-Kilombero (Tanzania), Kafue and North Luangwa (Zambia), Nyika (Malawi), Etosha (Namibia), Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Botswana/South Africa) and Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park (South Africa).

Relatively large numbers of common elands now live on private land, particularly in Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, reflecting its value as a trophy animal.

Common elands have also been widely domesticated in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Russia, and Ukraine.

[1][34] The common eland is sometimes farmed and hunted for its meat, and in some cases can be better used than cattle because it is more suited to African climates.

Common elands have a mild temperament and have been successfully domesticated for meat and milk production in South Africa and Russia.

[26] Their need for water is quite low because they produce urine with a high urea content, but they require a substantial grazing area, along with salt licks and large amounts of supplementary feed such as maize, sorghum, melons, and beans, which can be expensive.

[3] Housing common elands is difficult due to their ability to jump over fences as high as 3 m (9.8 ft) or simply break through using their substantial mass.

Common elands can reproduce in captivity, but calf survival is low and the young may need to be separated from their mothers to ensure health and adequate feeding.