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.
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.
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