Lesser kudu classified under the genus "Tragelaphus" in family Bovidae. It was first described by the English zoologist Edward Blyth in 1869. The generic name, "Tragelaphus", derives from Greek word "tragos", meaning a male goat, and "elaphos", which means a deer, while the specific name "imberbis" comes from the Latin term meaning unbearded, referring to this kudu's lack of mane. The vernacular name kudu (or koodoo) could have originated either from the Afrikaans "koedoe" or the Khoikhoi "kudu". The term "lesser" denotes the smaller size of this antelope as compared to the greater kudu. In 1912, the genus "Ammelaphus" was established for
Kudu gas field Oil declined by more than 3.0% after the group announced that it had to abandon the Kudu-8 exploration well offshore Namibia and that a second well planned nearby won't be drilled. In 2010, Namcor and Russian gas company Gazprom agreed to establish a special purpose company to take a majority stake in the Kudu gas field. The field is estimated to contain of proven natural gas reserves however more recent exploration and analysis suggests that reserves could reach with potential up to . These figures though are dependent on further work that is yet to be carried out by Tullow