Bovidae, Subfamily: Bovinae
Artiodactyla
Mammalia
285 days.
1
EEP
A strict browser, the bongo feeds mainly on the leaves and shoots of shrubs and climbing plants, although it also searches for wood, bark and rotting fruits.
18 years in captivity.
The striped design of the eastern bongo blends in and camouflages itself in the thickness of the equatorial forests in which it lives. They are active both during the day and at night, resting at intervals. During daylight hours they remain sheltered by the forest vegetation while at night they venture to open spaces in search of food.
They move through the forest by throwing their heads back and touching the tips of their horns to their backs, which is why they usually have hairless patches in that area. They browse among leaves, branches and fruits of trees, although they also graze and ingest mineral salts in forest clearings. Use your horns to dig roots and break high branches. The optimal areas for their feeding are forest clearings, where sunlight reaches the ground and allows the growth of vegetation at low altitude. They have been seen eating burned wood, which represents another contribution of minerals.
They live in pairs or form family groups of several related females and their young, up to 35 individuals. Adult males are solitary, joining groups of females only during the mating season.
Mainly nocturnal, although partially diurnal. Being shy and elusive animals, the species was not discovered until the beginning of the last century.
His hearing is excellent. Although it usually remains silent, it makes a sound similar to a bleat and its alarm voice is loud and resonant.
Since 2000 it has been included in a recovery and reintroduction program that has increased its populations. Our bongos are part of their European Reproduction Program (EEP).