BONGO ANTELOPE
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Name: Bongo Antelope
Scientific name: Tragelaphus euryceros
Range: Africa: Sierra Leone to Kenya
Habitat: Forest
Status: Cites Appendix III, not listed by USFWS
Diet in the wild: browser, leaves, flowers, twigs, thistles
Diet in the zoo: leaves , garden produce and cereals
Location: near Cheetah Exhibit

 
 
Physical description: Adult height is about 3’8” to 4’3”  and length is about 5’8” to 8’3”. Females 462-557 lbs and  males weigh 528-891 lbs.  Life span up to 19 years in observation.
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General information
The bongo inhabits lowland forests in most of its range from 2000 to 3000 meters. Male bongos are little bit larger than the female in size. They are largely active at night, were extremely shy and therefore difficult to see. They are quite rare due to being hunted for their horns. Doesn't like to live in a group. Mostly found in a pair. It has a short hair vertical mane from the shoulder to the rump and a long tufted tail. Generally female bongo has brighter colored and old males may become much darker. It depends more in its sense of hearing than on sight or smell. Older animals are often much worn and frayed from the friction of moving through heavy undergrowth. The bongo prefers to go under or around obstacles rather than jump over them. It likes to wallow in mud puddles and then rub the mud against a tree and polish its horns.
Special anatomical, physiological or behavioral adaptations
Since they are in great threat of being killed, they are only active at night. Their skin color are also helps them to be invisible from the far. It runs gracefully, and at the full speed through even the thickest tangles of lianas, laying its heavy spiraled horns on its back so that the brush cannot impede its flight. 
Comments about the bongos of the Fort Worth Zoo
There is a pair of bongo in the Forth Worth Zoo. They are well taken care of and seem healthy. They are given a special place to live. Zoo had made a small pond like water source for them at their place.
Personal Observations
It might seem hard to believe that but when I watch the bongo for a quite bit of time, I started to wonder how hard it is for bongo to live in the wild. It is the biggest in its antelope and that makes it more visible to the predator and its hunter. It seems shy, it doesn't interact with other thing that it doesn't know about.
Source Materials and Related Links:

Fort Worth Zoo

Encyclopedia of Mammals, Edited by Dr. David Macdonald 

Bongo at the Ultimate Ungulate:
http://www.ultimateungulate.com/bongo.html

Animals Bytes Bongo (http://www.seaworld.org/animal_bytes/bongoab.htm)

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Page authors:
Yolanda Gutierrez
Pankaj Thapa
Email :- P_thapa@hotmail.com
Email :-Yolandafromjal@webtv.com