Bongo

About the Bongo

The bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) is a large, mostly nocturnal, forest-dwelling antelope, native to sub-Saharan Africa. Bongos are characterised by a striking reddish-brown coat, black-and-white markings, white-yellow stripes, and long, slightly spiraled horns. Bongos have complex social interactions and are found in African dense forest mosaics. They are the third-largest antelope in the world.

In 2000, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in the US upgraded the bongo to a Species Survival Plan participant and in 2006 added the Bongo Restoration to Mount Kenya Project to its list of the Top Ten Wildlife Conservation Success Stories of the year. As of 2013, these successes have been compromised by reports of possibly only 100 mountain bongos left in the wild due to logging and poaching.

The scientific name of the bongo is Tragelaphus eurycerus, and it belongs to the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1837. The generic name Tragelaphus is composed of two Greek words: trag-, meaning a goat; and elaphos, meaning deer. The specific name eurycerus originated from the fusion of eurus (broad, widespread) and keras (an animal's horn... Wikipedia →