Nyala
Male
Female
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Genus:	Nyala
Species:	N. angasii
Binomial name
Nyala angasii (Angas, 1849)
200px
Geographic range

Male nyala (Nyala angasi) and twin daughters, approximately ten days old, at the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

The nyala (Nyala angasii) is a Southern African antelope. It is a spiral-horned dense-forest antelope that is uncomfortable in open spaces and is most often seen at water holes. Nyalas live alone or in small family groups of up to 10 individuals.^[2]

The male stands up to 110 cm (3.5 feet), the female is up to 90 cm (3 feet) tall. The male has loosely spiraled horns and a long fringe on throat and underparts; the female has no horns and no noticeable fringe. The male is dark brown, white on the face and neck, with vertical white stripes on the body. The female is reddish brown with white vertical striping.

The rare mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) is limited to central Ethiopia. While superficially similar to the lowland nyala, it is now considered more closely related to the kudu.^[3]

The name "nyala" is the Swahili name for this antelope, which itself comes from the Zulu "inyala". The Latin name comes from "tragos" (he-goat), "elaphos" (deer), and George French Angas of South Australia.^[4]

Taxonomy and evolution[link]

The nyala is the second taxon to branch off of the spiral-horned antelope family tree just after the lesser kudu. Fossil evidence suggests that the nyala has been a separate species since the end of the Miocene (5.8 million years ago). Genetic evidence suggests that the proto-nyala had some early hybridization with the proto-lesser kudu, but the two have remained separate long after this crossing.^[5]

As the nyala line has remained separate for a considerable amount of time (over 5 million years), it has now been placed in its own monotypic genus Nyala. Nyala, like Ammelaphus (lesser kudu), was proposed by Edmund Heller in 1912^[6] but not widely recognized, and was only reestablished as a valid genus in 2011 by Peter Grubb and Colin Groves.^[7]

There is no geographic variation for the genus nyala, and thus no additional species or subspecies.

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tragelaphus angasii

lez:Нйала

Mohammad Aliff bin Aziz (born February 16, 1991) is a Singaporean-Malaysian Pop, Pop Rock, R&B, Soul and Country singer. In September 2007, Aliff Aziz releases first self-titled album with best single Cinta Arjuna (Tong Hua cover) with 300,000 copies sold around Southeast Asia.

Discography[link]

• 2007: Aliff Aziz
• 2010: It's Aliff's Time
• 2011: Third album

External links[link]

• Official website

Christopher Stanley Reeve
Born	(1953-12-04)December 4, 1953 Durban, South Africa
Occupation	Tool and Die Maker, Knife designer, Entrepreneur
Spouse	Anne (Cameron) Reeve
Children	Tim Reeve
Parents	Stanley F. Reeve, Muriel (Dicks) Reeve

Chris Reeve is an American knife maker, recognized as one of the most influential people in knife making history.^[1] Reeve founded Chris Reeve Knives (CRK), and is co-owner of the company with his wife, Anne Reeve.

Background[link]

Christopher Stanley Reeve was born on December 4, 1953, in Durban, South Africa. His original vocation was that of tool and die making.^[2] Reeve trained at the Pineware Manufacturing Company, serving a 4 year tool and die making apprenticeship that finished in 1978. Reeve credits his experience in tool and die for developing his grinding skills and giving him the manufacturing and materials knowledge he needed to jumpstart him in professional knife making.^[3]

As a young man, Reeve’s spare time was largely spent engaged in motorcycle racing.^[3] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was a regular competitor in South Africa’s Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit. Unlike many of his competitors, Reeve did not have corporate funding.^{[citation needed]} As a result, Reeve used the highly competitive race setting to hone his problem-solving skills, custom tuning his motorcycle with components often designed and fabricated in his own shop.

In 1987, Chris married Anne Cameron in Johannesburg, South Africa. In order to pursue improved business opportunities, Chris and Anne moved to the United States in 1989, and settled in Boise, Idaho.^[4] In 2003, Chris and Anne were granted US citizenship.

Early knifemaking[link]

Chris Reeve "Survival Knife" -- a custom piece that was the forerunner to the One Piece Range manufactured at Chris Reeve Knives

Reeve began his knife-making career by chance. Before being called up for a 3-month compulsory military service period in 1975 on the Mozambique / South African border, he noted that the standard army kit did not include a good all-purpose knife. As a result, Reeve decided to design and make one.^[3]

A subsequent three-month military service period in 1978 was spent on the Angola/ Namibia border. Reeve had previously designed and made for himself a hidden tang knife with a wooden handle, inlaid with silver wire. The climate in Durban where the knife was made is hot and humid, while the Angola/ Namibia area is semi-desert. After a few days in the dry air, the wooden handle had dried and large cracks appeared. This set Reeve thinking about a knife that could be used across all climates without such damage. The idea of an all-steel knife, with both handle and blade made from a single solid bar, started to germinate.^[5] Reeve’s resulting one piece knife concept was first produced as a custom knife in 1982. The one piece concept hit production as the 7 inch bladed MK IV, with 40 pieces becoming available for sale early in 1983.^[6] Chris stopped tool making and became a full-time knifemaker in January 1984.

Custom knifemaking[link]

Three flute dagger, w/ combination flat/hollow grind CPM154CM blade, Ti and 22 karat gold fittings. Blade length = 10”, overall length is 17”

Early in Reeve’s career, he engaged in making custom knives.^[2] Today, Reeve still makes custom knives as time allows. These custom pieces are of his own design, although sometimes there is a cultural influence – often European or Japanese.^[3] Reeve’s custom knives include folding knives with uncommon locking mechanisms, daggers and other fixed blade knives of unique styling, and table cutlery. Reeve uses exotic materials, frequently inlaying gold, pearl or unusual types of wood into titanium or wooden handles to create an interesting contrast of color and texture. He learned much of his knowledge of wood from his father who, as a young man, collected stumps and root sections.^[3]

Significant inventions/developments[link]

One Piece concept – The concept of a fixed blade, hollow handled knife, with both the handle and blade milled from a single billet of steel.^[5][6]

Lock 45 – A folding knife lock, formed by a lock bar with recesses containing 45 degree angles mating with the rear of the blade. The lock bar / blade interface serves as both the blade stop and the lock mechanism.^[7]

Helix Lock – A modification of the Opinel folding knife ferrel lock, which enables one-handed opening and closing.^[8]

Integral Lock© – A folding knife lock, introduced with and popularized by the Sebenza folding knife, where one of the handle slabs is slotted to form a lock bar, which falls into place behind the blade to stop the blade from closing.^[9][10]

CPM S30V – A stainless steel using the powder metallurgy process. Reeve worked with the Crucible Steel Company to develop this steel specifically for the cutlery industry.^[11]

Kubuli serrations – Serrations placed in a knife blade, alternating from both left and right sides of the blade, forming two rows of serrations that are not collinear.^[12] As a result, Kubuli serrations move the material to be cut from side to side as the cut is being made.

Perforated thrust washers – Initially brought to market by the Umnumzaan folding knife in 2008, Reeve's design of perforated washers reduce pivot friction, and serve to retain lubricant.^[13] After their successful employment in the Umnumzaan, perforated thrust washers were incorporated into the design of the Sebenza.

Ceramic ball integrated into integral lock bar – Also introduced as a feature in the Umnumzaan, the ceramic ball embedded into the end of the lock bar, creating the interface between the blade locking surface and the integral locking arm surface. The ball doubles to drop into a mating detent on the blade to ensure that the blade does not open accidentally.^[13]

Awards[link]

• South African National Knife Collectors Association: Best Fixed Blade Collection - 1983^[14]
• South African National Knife Collectors Association: Best Collection Displayed - 1984 ^[14]
• Durban Easter Custom Cutlery Exhibition: Best Fixed Blade - April, 1987 ^[14]
• Knifemakers Guild of Southern Africa: Best Folding Knife - November, 1987 ^[14]
• Shotgun News Gun and Knife Show, Reno, NV: Best Combat Knife - July, 1988 ^[14]
• Arizona Knife Collectors Association: Best Custom Folder - December, 1989 ^[14]
• Beretta Award for Outstanding Achievement in Handcrafted Cutlery: October, 1990 ^[7]
• Knife-Aholics Unanimous Award: Knife Maker Extraordinaire - July, 1992 ^[14]
• Knifemakers Guild: "Most Innovative Folder at the Show" -- July 1993^[15]

References[link]