Cape Bushbuck
- Tragelaphus sylvaticus
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- Trend: decreasing
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Artiodactyla
- Family: Bovidae
- Subfamily: Bovinae
- Genus: Tragelaphus
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General Information
The Cape bushbuck is a cautious and elusive antelope based in Southern Africa. It is a solitary and elusive antelope found in a wide range of habitats, such as rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaic, savanna, bushveld and woodland.
Description
They have a light brown coat, with up to seven white stripes and white splotches on the sides. The white patches are usually geometrically shaped and on the most mobile parts of their body, such as the ears, chin, tail, legs and neck. The muzzle is also white. Horns, found only on the males, can reach over half a meter and have a single twist.- Shoulder height: 90 cm
- Weight: 45 to 80 kg
Ecology & Behaviour
Cape Bushbuck rarely browse on grasses. They prefer to browse on fruits, trees, shrubs, forb plants and sometimes remain for hours beneath certain flowering trees, especially the sausage tree (Kigelia africana). They are solitary antelopes even though they are not aggressive or anti-social about being in close proximity with other antelopes. Some game farmers in southern Africa discovered that the bushbuck may compete with the closely related, larger, nyala when they tried to introduce the two species to the same area. However, the two species are often found in close proximity in natural communities
Conservation
It is classified as “Least concern” on the IUCN Red list.
Distribution & Habitat
Cape bushbuck occur from the Cape in South Africa to Angola and Zambia and up the eastern part of Africa to Ethiopia and Somalia. They prefer to inhabit areas of dense cover.
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