Bongo
The Bongo is the largest of the African antelopes found in West and Central Africa. It has a vivid chestnut-red coat with up to fifteen thin vertical white stripes on its torso and rump. They have a crest of hair that runs the length of their back and their legs are patterned with chestnut, white and black. Bongo have a off-white collar at the base of their neck, two white spots on each cheek, and large ears. The West African Bongo is typically smaller than the eastern bongo. They feed on grasses, herbs, roots, cereals, shrubs and fruits as well as bushes, leaves, bark and pith of rotting trees. Charcoal from burnt trees hit by lightning has been found in their feces
Males are normally darker in color than females. Though they both have horns the female tends to have longer, thinner and are more parallel.
Body Length: 66 – 98 inches
Shoulder Height: 43 – 51 inches
Tail Length: 17 – 25 inches
Male Weight: 530 – 900 pounds
Female Weight: 460 – 520 pounds
Horns: Lyre-shaped horns
Gestation period is 9 – 10 months where the Bongos will give birth to a single calf approximately 44 pounds. They reach sexual maturity at approximately 20 months of age with horns beginning to appear on calves when they are 4 months old.
Last Update 2014