Where does the harnessed bushbuck live?
The harnessed bushbuck is a medium-sized antelope, widespread across sub-Saharan Africa: from Senegal and Gambia in the west to Uganda in the east and northern Angola in the south. It lives in wooded savannas, forest-savanna mosaics, rainforests, montane forests and semi-arid zones, but not in the deep Congo Basin rainforests. It adapts well to changing conditions.
What does the harnessed bushbuck eat?
Its close relative, the Cape bushbuck, is a browser: it feeds on trees, shrubs and forbs, and rarely if ever eats grasses. It is active throughout the day, but tends to be nocturnal near human habitations. It is solitary, without being aggressively antisocial: individuals sometimes forage in close proximity. Its reddish coat carries a variable number of white stripes and spots on the flanks. It is closely related to the kudu, the sitatunga and the bongo.
Is the harnessed bushbuck endangered?
No: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. Males of the West African population are more often striped than those in East or Southern Africa. In the Cape bushbuck, males stand about 90 cm at the shoulder, weigh 60 to 80 kg, and have horns over half a metre long.
