General Characteristics
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Bongos are the largest and most colorful of the forest African antelopes.
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Females and young are chestnut red, with darker legs.
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The males start out this chestnut color and proceed to darken with age, eventually becoming a dark brownish black..
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Female horns are more parellel than the males and make one spiral turn.
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They have large broad ears and white marker on cheeks and legs
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They have shorter legs than other antelopes
Head to body Length : 1.7 -2.5 meters ( 5.5 feet to 8.25 feet)
Tail Length : 45 -65 centimeters ( 18- 26 inches )
Horn Length : 75 -99 cm (30- 39 in )
Shoulder Height : 1.1 – 1.3 meters ( 3 feet 8 inches to 4ft to 3 inches )
Weight : 210 -405 kgs ( 460 -890 lbs )
Range – West and Central Africa
Habitat – Dense tropical jungles
Food – Leaves, Twigs, bark, thistles and cereals.
They are Grazers and Browsers.
Status – Endangered
Reason For Status : Rnderpest epidermic dieases, habitat destruction and killing by man.
As few as 140 left in the wild
Gestation : 285 days ( 9.5 months )
Lifespan : 19 years in the wild