Tragelaphus spekei
Sitatungas are swamp-dwelling antelopes found in small numbers in Saiwa Swamp National Park in western Kenya, and in larger populations around Lake Victoria and the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania and in several river basins in Uganda.
The sitatunga has long, splayed hooves that make this animal clumsy on firm terrain, but suitable for walking through muddy, vegetated swamplands. It also has a long shaggy coat made of thin, oily, water repellent hair. Since there is food all year long in the swamps, the sitatungas do not need to migrate long distances.
They like to rest on dry mounds or floating islands in the swamp, turning circles on the spot until the grass is trampled into a springy mat. Young are born and placed on these mats, raised out of the water.
The above picture was taken at the Attica Zoological Park, in Athens, Greece, in June 2007.
Genus Tragelaphus
Subfamily Bovinae
Family Bovidae
Order Artiodactyla
Subclass Eutheria
Class Mammalia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
Index