Lesser kudu kudu and nyala form a clade, and collectively separated from the sister clade 13.8 million years ago. The lesser kudu has 38 diploid chromosomes. However, unlike others in the subfamily Tragelaphinae, the X chromosome and Y chromosome are compound and each is fused with one of two identical autosomes. The lesser kudu is a spiral-horned antelope. The head-and-body length is typically between . Males reach about at the shoulder, while females reach . Males typically weigh and females . The bushy tail is long, white underneath and with a black tip at the end. Distinct signs of sexual dimorphism are
Greater kudu of the northwestern population, which may represent a third subspecies ("T. s. cottoni") was tested within this study. In Groves and Grubb's book "Ungulate Taxonomy", a recent taxonomic revision was made that evaluated all species and subspecies of kudu and other ungulates. This review split the genus "Tragelaphus" into 4 separate genera, "Tragelaphus" (bushbuck, sitatunga, bongo, nyala, and gedemsa or mountain nyala), "Ammelaphus" (lesser kudu), "Strepsiceros" (greater kudu) and their close relatives "Taurotragus" (elands). The greater kudu was split into four species based on genetic evidence and morphological features (horn structure and coat color). Each species was based on a