Thursday, December 19, 2013

Creature Feature #64: Bongo


The Bongo is an attractive forest antelope species found in western, central and eastern Africa. There are two subspecies: the Lowland and the Mountain;  the latter is Critically Endangered and only found in an isolated pocket of forest in Kenya. Her chesnut coat and white stripes break up her form, providing camouflage. The Bongo lives in small herds of females and their calves, whilst the bulls remain solitary, only mingling with the females during mating season. She favours the denser undergrowth, browsing on leaves, using her long, prehensile tongue. She is most active at night,  with occasional forays during the daylight hours. If danger threatens, she is quick to flee and will then seek cover, presenting her less conspicuous hindquarters in the direction of the disturbance.

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