ボンゴ (Tragelaphus eurycerus) は、中央アフリカの森林地帯でひっそりと暮らすアンテロープである。黄褐色から赤色の毛皮をしており、胴体部分に白い縦縞が入っている。脚の内側は色が薄く、大きな耳を持っており、目の下に逆 V 字型の黄色い模様が入っている。特筆すべき特徴は、らせん状に伸びた大きな真っ直ぐのツノだ。オスとメスは同じくらいの大きさで、肩高 1.1～1.3 m、体長 2.15～3.15 m。ただし、メスの体重が 190 kg なのに対し、オスの体重はずっと重く平均 310 kg ある。
Latin Name
Tragelaphus erycerus
Featured
false
Slug
bongo
Site
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Conservation Status
Animal Category
Region
Animal Facts
Although the bongo's horns are used for fighting (especially by males), they are more often used for clearing branches and scrub out of the way while they are foraging in dense woodland.
Bongos are 'crepuscular' animals; they are most active at dusk and dawn.
For the first week of a newborn bongo calf's life, it remains hidden silently in the undergrowth and its mother will return to it often to feed it.
There is a small group of Bongos that live in the mountains of Kenya. These are a subspecies of bongo called the 'mountain bongo' and have been long isolated from the forest population.
Bongos are known to eat charcoal from burned trees after lightning strikes and forest fires. It is believed they use this as a source of salt and minerals.