Eastern Bongo
Eastern Bongo
Eastern Bongo
The eastern or mountain bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci, of Kenya has a coat more vibrant than that of its lower land cousin T. eurycerus eurycerus. The mountain bongo is only found in the wild in one remote region of central Kenya. The mountain bongo is classified by the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group as Critically Endangered with more specimens in captivity than in the wild. The bongo sports a bright auburn or chestnut coat, with the neck, chest and legs generally darker than the rest of the body. The smooth coat is marked with 10–15 vertical white-yellow stripes, spread along the back from the base of the neck to the rump. They have pointed horns that they keep throughout their lifespan. Males have massive backswept horns while females have smaller, thinner and more parallel horns. Indeed, bongos are the only Tragelaphid in which both sexes have horns. Bongos have a complex social interaction and are found in African dense forest mosaics.
