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Sitatunga ( Tragelaphus spekei) Swahili: Nzohe

Sitatunga ( Tragelaphus spekei) Swahili: Nzohe
The sitatunga is an swamp antelope with unusual elongated hooves which gives it ability to walk on marshy ground without sinking.Very similar to the bushbuck in appearance,except that the coat of the male is much darker and the hair of both sexes much longer and shaggier,the sitatunga stands something over one metre at the shoulder.The females have a lighter,redish coat and the males have twisted horns up to 90 cm long. It is a fairly shy antelope and sightings are not all that common.A good swimmer,the sitatunga will often submerge itself almost completely when alarmed.It feeds largely on papyrus and other reeds and is usually nocturnal though in places where it remains undisturbed it can be diurnal.Animals normally live singly or in pairs or in pairs but sometimes come together in small herds numbering up to 15 .

Topi (Damaliskus lunatus) Swahili: Nyamera

Topi (Damaliskus lunatus) Swahili: Nyamera
The topi is not unlike the hartebeest in appearance,but is a dark almost purplish colour and has black patches on the rear thighs,front legs and face.Its horns which are found in both sexes,also differ in shape from the hartebeest in curving gently up,out and back.Although fairly widely distributed in East Africa. A highly gregarious antelope which lives in herds numbering from 15 up to several hundred individuals,topi congregate at certain times of year in gatherings of up to 10000 in preparation for a migration to fresh pastures.They are often found mingling with wildebeest,hartebeest and zebra.In the mating season,bulls select a well-defined patch of ground which is defended against other rivals and this is where the mating takes place.At this time females are free to wander from one patch to another.After mating,the herds split into single-sex parties.Topi are exclusively grazers and prefer flood plains which support lush pasture though they are capable of thriving on dry grasses which other antelopes will not eat.When water is available they drink frequently but they are also capable of surviving long periods without water so long as there is sufficient grass available.Their main predator is the lion.

Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) Swahili: kuru

Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) Swahili: Kuru
The defassa waterbuck is a fairly solid animal and is easily recognisable by its thick,shaggy,dark,brown coat,and white inner thighs.It is fairly common and easily seen in Tanzania National Parks. A second variety,the ringed waterbuck,so-called because of the white ring around its rump.Both varieties have white facial and throat markings.Only the males have horns,and these curve gradually outwards then grow straight up to a lenght of about 75 cm .As you might expect from the name,waterbuck are good swimmers and readily enter the water to escape from predators.Their habitat is always close to water,and males have marked territories by the water's edge.Females and younger males tend to wander at random through male territories.Herds are small and usually consists of cows,calves and one mature bull,the other bulls live in small groups apart from the herd.The bulk of the waterbuck's diet is grass but it does eat some of the foliage of trees and bushes.Sexual maturity is reached at just over one year,although a male will not become the dominant bull in the herd until around five years of age.Waterbuck are usually only preyed on when other food is scarce.The reason being that when mature the flesh is tough and has a distinct odour.Predators such as lion,leopard and hunting dogs go for the young calves and females.

Bongo Antelope(Tragelaphus eurycerus) Swahili:Bongo

Bongo Antelope(Tragelaphus eurycerus) Swahili:Bongo
The large,striped bongo antelope is rarely seen.They live close to water in dense forest,only leaving the forest cover to graze at night in open clearings.The bongo stands around 120 cm high at the shoulder and measures around 250 cm from head to tail.Mature males are a beautiful dark mahagony-brown colour,while the females are a much lighter reddish-brown.Both sexes have distinctive vertical white stripes on the body,never less than nine,never more than 14.Horns are sported by both males and females,and these are slightly spiralling and lyre shaped with yellow tips,with those on the male slightly shorter and sturdier than on the female.The bongo grazes mainly onleaves and will often stand on its hind legs to increase its reach.It also digs for roots with its horns.Bongo are usually found in small family herds although bulls often lead a solitary existence,meeting up with other animals only to mate.

Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) Swahili : Pongo

Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) Swahili : pongo
Although the small bushbuck antelope excists in fairly large numbers in most of Tanzania's game parks,it is a shy,solitary animal and is rarely sighted.Standing at about 80 cm at the shoulder,the bushbuck is chestnut to dark brown in colour with avariable number of white vertical stripes on the body between the neck and rump,as well as usually two horizontal white stripes lower down which give the animal a harnessed appearance.There are also a number of spots on the upper thigh and a white splash on the neck.Females are reddish brown.Horns are usually only grown by males but females have been known to grow them on rare occasions.They are lyre shaped with gentle spirals and average about 30 cm in lenght.Bushbuck are rarely found in groups of more than two and prefer to to stick to areas with heavy bush cover.When startled they take off and crash loudly through the undergrowth.They are nocturnal animals and browsers yet rarely move far from the choosen spot.Though shy and elusive they can be aggressive and dangerous when cornered.Their main predators are leopard and python.

BUSH DUIKER (Sylvicapra grimmia)

Bush Duiker ( Sylvicapra grimmia) Swahili: Nsya
Bush Duiker is the most common of the duikers,of which there are at least 10 species.Even so,they are not often sighted as they are largely nocturnal,usually only live in pairs and prefer areas with good scrub cover.The duiker stands only 60 cm at the shoulder,is a greyish light-brown colour with a white belly and a brown vertical stripe on the face.The horns(males only) are short,pointed,and grow straight.Duikers are widely distributed and can be found in a variety of habitats ranging from open bush to semi-desert and up to the snow line of the highest mountains except for bamboo forest and rainforest.This ability to survive in many different habitats explains their survival in cultivated areas where other herbivorous species have been exterminated.They are almost exclusively browsers and only rarely eat grasses though they appear to supplement their diet with insects and guinea fowl chicks.They are capable of doing without water for long periods but will drink it when available.