Mountain Bongo
Tragelaphus eurycerus isasci
WILD STATUS
Extinct in the wild
Extinct in the wild
DISTRIBUTION
Mountain Bongos live in disturbed tropical forests to 12,000 feet elevation. All captive Mountain Bongos come from the Aberdere Mountains of western Kenya. Subspecies can also be found in parts of west and central Africa.
SIZE
Height is ~1.5 m (5’) at the shoulder.
Females weigh up to 240-300 kg (528-660 lbs), males up to 408 kg (900 lbs)
HABITAT
Mountain Bongos were mainly found in dense mountain forests. They are crepuscular (active dawn and dusk), and nocturnal but not exclusively. Also being very shy, they will disappear into the forest if startled.
REPRODUCTION
A single calf is born after 9 month gestation period.
A single calf is born after 9 month gestation period.
DIET
Mountain Bongos are herbivorous browsers enjoying bamboo, leaves, vines and fungi.
INTERESTING TIDBITS
- Mountain Bongos have a very distinctive coat pattern which provides excellent camouflage in the dense bush, blending with the vegetation so as to be almost invisible.
- They have a callous on their face which helps to keep the branches from hurting their noses and allows them to run through the forest with ease.
- When bongos flee, the horns are held back against the neck so as not to tangle in the vegetation.
- Bongos love to wallow and in the mud and polish their horns against tree trunks.
- They have an insatiable desire for salt and must inhabit areas offering plenty of fresh water.
- The main predators are humans, leopards and hyaena.
- They were almost completely wiped out by rinderpest, a disease transmitted from domestic cattle in the 1890’s. They are currently poached for their meat and skins. On Mt. Kenya, the entire population has been wiped out by illegal hunting with dogs.
- They suffer from loss of tropical jungle habitat due to human overpopulation and slash and burn agriculture.
HABITAT RANGE
ANIMAL FACT SHEET
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