The influence of sex on the intramuscular fat characteristics of eland harvested from the highland savanna in Namibia was investigated. No significant differences were observed between sexes for moisture, protein and ash content in the longissimus dorsi et lumborum (LDL). Fat content in LDL differed (rho = 0.022) for male (1.2%) and female (2.0%) eland. Stearic acid was the most abundant fatty acid (26.1%) in males and differed from females (21.7%) whilst oleic acid was the most abundant fatty acid (39.1%) in females. Females contained more MUFA (41.6%) than males (26.4%). Eland had a PUFA to SFA ratio of 4-5. Males did not differ from females for the n-6:n-3 ratio (2.7-2.9). No significant differences for sex were observed in cholesterol content. The chemical composition of eland can serve as a reference standard for future studies as well as be of value for food labelling and marketing strategies.