Fun Mountain Bongo Facts For Kids
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If you are a fan of wildlife and exotic animals, you are bound to be fascinated by the mountain bongos. Mountain bongos are a subspecies of the bongos (Tragelaphus eurycerus).
There are two subspecies of bongos, the mountain or eastern bongo and the lowland or western bongo. Both of these subspecies are native to Africa, with their population steadily on the decline. The eastern bongo is much bigger in height and weight than the western bongo.
Bongos are known to be among the largest forest antelopes. These animals are herbivores. They feed on grass, leaves, and herbs. Their reddish-brown bodies are covered with white stripes. In the wild, leopards and spotted hyenas are the two main predators of the bongos.
If you find our content interesting, make sure to check out facts about the Golden takin and the Sichuan takin.
Mountain Bongo Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a mountain bongo?
The mountain bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) is a type of antelope that belongs to the Bovidae family.
What class of animal does a mountain bongo belong to?
Like all other antelopes of the world, the mountain bongo belongs to the class Mammalia of the Animalia kingdom.
How many mountain bongos are there in the world?
Mountain bongos are scarce animals and are found only in a few places on the globe. Their population is very low.
As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN Red List, the exact population of the mountain bongo as per a survey record of 2015 states that there are about 100 individuals alive. As a result, their conservation status is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.
Captive breeding can be a way to increase their population.
Where does a mountain bongo live?
The range of the mountain bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) lies mainly concentrated in Kenya. This includes the Aberdare ecosystem, Mt. Kenya, Mau southwest forest reserve, and Mau Eburu forest reserve. Earlier, these antelopes were found in the mountainous regions of Uganda; however, now, in the present day, this subspecies is only found in the above-mentioned four isolated areas.
What is a mountain bongo's habitat?
The prime habitat of this antelope is evident from its name for the mountainous regions of Kenya. The habitat of the mountain bongo range includes dense forest areas along with areas like the bamboo zone. The prime grazing areas with numerous bushes, shrubs, and tall grasses for protection serve as the perfect habitat for the mountain bongo.
Who do mountain bongos live with?
Mountain bongos can be social animals. Sizes of the herds differ and can contain individuals in a range of around 5-25. These animals can be considered relatively non-territorial as more than one older male mountain bongo has been seen together residing in a herd.
Males tend to lead a solitary life, looking for females only during mating season. The females live with their young ones in small herds of five to eight.
These animals keep a distance from other animals. Interestingly, mountain bongos are both nocturnal as well as diurnal. The herd grazes together during the day while it appears near salt pits at night.
How long does a mountain bongo live?
The mountain bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) is a powerful antelope adept at surviving the treacherous conditions of the wild. The average lifespan of mountain bongos is around 22 years in captivity.
How do they reproduce?
Mountain bongos are shy and tend to avoid other animals. Also, since they are deft at hiding in dense vegetation, not much is known about their sexual behavior and mating rituals.
However, according to some observers, when the female goes into the estrus cycle every three weeks, the adult males seek out females and vocalize soft noises and poses in a low stretch to attract the female's attention.
Their gestation period is pretty long, roughly around 282-285 days on average. Generally, a single calf is born, while on rare occasions, two calves may be born.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status, Critically Endangered, has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN Red List. The population trend of this Critically Endangered species has also been constantly on the decline.
A large number of reasons are responsible for the depletion of this species, with human activities like habitat destruction, poaching for ivory, and climate change topping the list. Invasive diseases have also taken a toll on this species.
Mountain Bongo Fun Facts
What does a mountain bongo look like?
These animals are large antelopes with large ears and white stripes on their body. These white stripes on a reddish-brown fur coat help these animals to hide from other animals effectively. However, some bongos may also have white and yellow stripes on their bodies. Usually, female bongos have a brighter-looking fur coat than male bongos.
How cute are they?
Mountain bongos are elegant animals, and every wildlife lover would find these species of antelopes extremely adorable and equally magnificent.
How do they communicate?
These animals are known to communicate via a wide range of calls, each having a different meaning from one another. These calls include grunts, snorts, moos, and bleats. These calls serve as distress and warning calls for incoming predatory attacks.
How big is a mountain bongo?
These are pretty large animals as they have a length of 85-124 in (215.9-315 cm) and a height of 43-51 in (109.2-129.5 cm). A saiga antelope with a length of 39.3-55.1 in (100-140 cm) and a height of 24-31.8 in (61-81 cm) is almost twice the size of mountain bongos.
How fast can a mountain bongo run?
Mountain bongos are fast runners and can attain high speeds. These animals are known to sprint at a speed of around 43 mph (69.2 kph). The high sprinting speed of these animals plays a vital role in their plight from larger predatory animals.
How much does a mountain bongo weigh?
These animals weigh around 331-893 lb (150-405 kg). Compared to spiraled horned antelope 220.4-286.6 lb (100-130 kg), the former weighs almost double.
What are the male and female names of the species?
Like any other antelope of the world, the male mountain bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) is referred to as a bull, while their female counterparts are called does.
What would you call a baby mountain bongo?
Baby antelopes are known as calves. Therefore in the case of a baby mountain bongo, it will be known as a mountain bongo calf.
What do they eat?
Just like all other antelopes of the world, mountain bongos are also herbivorous animals. Herbivorous animals feed only on plants, and therefore the typical mountain bongo diet consists of leaves, twigs, herbs, flowers, and thistles.
Are they poisonous?
There is no record of mountain bongos being poisonous to humans or other animals.
Would they make a good pet?
No. These are wild animals and should be left alone. Moreover, due to their declining population, proper protection needs to be done to prevent these animals from becoming extinct.
Did you know...
Mountain bongos prefer eating and grazing on new plants in order to feed on fresh leaves during the day. At night these animals visit salt licks or mineral licks. Mineral licks are blocks containing essential minerals and salts which are beneficial for the effective livelihood of animals in the wild.
These animals often use their prehensile tongue to effectively pull leaves from unreachable branches of trees. Bongos do not have special secretion glands. They rely less on scent to locate other animals or predators.
How many mountain bongos are there?
The number of mountain bongos is around 100 now, which means that their population is pretty low.
Why are mountain bongos endangered?
Human activities like habitat destruction, poaching, hunting with dogs, climate change, and invasive diseases have resulted in their conservation status being Critically Endangered. In some parts, bongos are even hunted for meat. Captive breeding is the only effective solution to revive their numbers.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these takin facts and fox facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable mammals coloring pages.
Mountain Bongo Facts
What Did They Prey On?
Do not preyWhat Type of Animal were they?
HerbivoreAverage Litter Size?
1How Much Did They Weigh?
331-893 lb (150-405 kg)What habitat Do they Live In?
Tropical jungles and dense forestsWhere Do They Live?
Kenya, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon, ghana, guineaHow Long Were They?
85-124 in (215.9-315 cm)How Tall Were They?
43-51 in (109.2-129.5 cm)Class
MammaliaGenus
TragelaphusFamily
BovidaeScientific Name
Tragelaphus eurycerusWhat Do They Look Like?
Reddish-brownSkin Type
FurWhat Are Their Main Threats?
humans and predatorsWhat is their Conservation Status?
Critically Endangered
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