sitatunga

Sitatunga
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Bovinae Genus: Tragelaphus Species: T. spekeii
Binomial name
Tragelaphus spekeii Sclater, 1863

The sitatunga or marshbuck (Tragelaphus spekii) is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout Central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and parts of Southern Sudan as well as in Botswana, Zambia, Gabon, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

Description

Sitatunga stand about one and a half metres at the shoulder. Sitatunga have a water-proof coat which is dark brown in males and reddish brown in females. Both sexes have white stripes and spots as well as white splotches on their faces. Their hooves are long and thin to deal with the Sitatunga's swampy habitat. Males have a mane as well as horns, which are twisted and can reach almost a metre in length.

Sitatunga in a dune area, Gabon

Young male sitatunga in Mozambique

Behavior

Sitatunga live in papyrus swamps and are very good swimmers. They may take to the water to evade predators such as leopards or wild dogs, lying submerged in pools with only their nostrils above the surface. They have been known to sleep underwater. They are crepuscular although they are also somewhat active at night and day. Sitatunga can be solitary; females tend to stick in herds while males become mostly solitary after mating.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tragelaphus spekei

External links

• African Wildlife Fund