Bongo

• Range: Lowland forest of East, Central and West Africa; found in Southern Sudan; in montane or highland forests in Kenya and in Zaire.
  
• Habitat: Bongos are typically found in forests with dense undergrowth. They can sometimes be found in forest remnants isolated by the surrounding open country.
  
• Description: Bongos are the largest and heaviest forest antelope weighing up to 500 pounds and standing 50 inches at the shoulder. They are a bright chestnut color with white body stripes, big ears and massive spiral horns. Females are smaller than the males and have thinner horns.
  
• Diet: Bongos mainly eat leaves off of trees and bushes. They also eat grasses, shoots, wood and bark. They will stand on their hind legs to reach leaves and will also use their horns to dig for roots.
  
• Behavior: Bongos are a social antelope that live in small groups of up to 50 individuals. These groups consist of mainly females and their offspring. Old bulls often live alone. They are thought to be mostly nocturnal with peak activity and feeding in the twilight hours. After feeding in the early morning hours, they remain hidden to digest their food.
  
• Breeding: The gestation period is nine and a half months and will produce one calf. Young bongos are weaned at six months and are fully independent at around one year. Bongos are sexually mature at 20 months and can live up to 19 years in captivity.