Marshbuck
The sitatunga or marshbuck (Tragelaphus spekii ) is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, parts of Southern Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Ghana, Botswana, Rwanda, Zambia, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.The sitatunga is confined to swampy and marshy habitats. Here they occur in tall and dense vegetation as well as seasonal swamps, marshy clearings in forests, riparian thickets and mangrove swamps.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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AquaticAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract ...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Sedentary animals lead such a type of lifestyle in which little to or no physical activity is done. These are mostly marine bottom-dwelling animals...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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SocialA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withSitatunga are swamp-dwelling antelopes native to Africa. They have a shaggy, water-resistant coat which varies in color but, in general, is a rufous red in juveniles and chestnut in females. There are white facial markings, as well as several stripes and spots all over. White patches can be seen on the throat, near the head and the chest. The coats of males darken with age, becoming gray to dark brown. Males develop a rough and scraggy mane, usually brown in color, and a white dorsal stripe. There is also a chevron between the eyes of the males. The body and feet of these antelopes are specially adapted to their swampy habitat. Only the males possess horns which are spiral in shape and have one or two twists.
Sitatunga are found throughout central Africa. They are native to Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Sitatunga live on both land and water and are confined to swampy and marshy habitats. They occur in tall and dense vegetation of perennial as well as seasonal swamps, marshy clearings in forests, riparian thickets and mangrove swamps. These antelopes move along clearly marked tracks in their swampy habitat, often leading to reed beds. In savannas, they are typically found in stands of papyrus and reeds.
Sitatunga are active mainly during the early hours after dawn, the last one or two hours before dusk, and at night. They spend most of this time feeding. Basically sedentary, they rest in flat areas and reed beds, especially during the hotter part of the day and seldom leave their swamp habitat during the daytime. Sitatunga usually stay solitary or in pairs, but may also form small groups. These antelopes are not territorial. Males may engage in locking horns with other males and attacking vegetation using their horns. Sitatunga communicate with each other by first touching their noses, which may be followed by licking each other and nibbling. Alarmed animals may stand motionless, with the head held high and one leg raised. Sitatunga may occasionally emit a series of coughs or barks, usually at night, and these sounds can be heard across the swamp. This barking may be used by females to warn off other females. Males often utter a low bellow on coming across a female or a herd of females in the mating season. A low-pitched squeak may be uttered while feeding. Mothers communicate with their calves by bleats.
Sitatunga are herbivorous animals. They feed mainly on new foliage, fresh and aquatic grasses, sedges, flowers, buds, and seeds.
Sitatunga are polygynous and when females gather, males compete among each other for the right to mate. Breeding takes place throughout the year. Gestation lasts around 8 months, after which usually a single calf is born. Calves stay hidden on a vegetation platform secluded in dry reeds, and in deep water for protection. They are brought out of cover only in the presence of many other sitatunga. Calves stay with their mothers for 6 months and learn to move in the swamp safely. Little calves take time to master the specialized gait of the sitatunga, and thus often lose their balance and fall in the water. Females usually become reproductively mature by 1 year of age, while males take 1,5 year before they mature.
The major threat to sitatunga is the loss of their habitat. Other threats include the increasing loss of wetlands, that have isolated populations and long-term changes in the water level, that affects the nearby vegetation and thus bears upon the animals' diet. In Senegal, intensive hunting for meat and habitat degradation have made sitatunga very rare.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of sitatunga is around 170,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are increasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...