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 : 42 -50 inches at the shoulder
Weight : Females (462 to 557 pounds) males ( 528 -891 pounds )
Range – Kenya and Western Africa
Habitat – Dense Mountain and rainforests
Food – Leaves, Twigs, bark, thistles and cereals in the wild
They are Grazers and Browsers.
Status – Critically Endangered.
As few as 140 left in the wild, and rapidly declining species.
Reason For Status : Rnderpest epidermic dieases, habitat destruction and killing by man.
Gestation : 285 days ( 9.5 months )
Lifespan : 19 years in the wild