Date Posted: 6/17/2013 8:02:03 AM
Posted By: faith sanga Membership Level: Silver Total Points: 137
Description.Sitatunga is a swamp antelope and stand half meter at the shoulder found along King'wal swamp which is at Nandi county along Eldoret- Kapsabet highway.The swamp is infested with papyrus.They use regular tunneled pathways through tal reeds and papyrus.Has a water-proof coat which is dark brown in males and reddish brown in females.Males are larger than females with long twisting horns.BehaviourTheir hooves are elongated and will splay widely apart to keep them from sinking into soft soil adapted for walking through muddy vegetated swamplands but clumsy and vulnerable on firm terrain excellent swimmers able to paddle for several miles. Sitatunga rest on dry mounds or floating vegetation and can dive deeper into water if in danger,staying hidden with their heads out of water.The antelope barks,loud sneezes and squeaks.The young ones are born on a dry, trampled mat in the swamp or mushy grass along the swamps.Feeding habitsThey wait until sunset or night to leave the swamp and graze along the swamp.They feed on fallen fruits and chew the bark of some trees and bushes growing in the swamp or near the forested edge. Sitatungas eat shoots of and leaves of bushes bulrushes,sedges and the leaves of bushes, grass ,fallen fruit and chew the bark of some trees and bushes in the in the swamp.Female sitatunga gives birth to single offspring newborns on trampled mat with only short visits from its mother for suckling calves remain on mat for a month nursing for 4-6 monthsConservationTheir lives are endangered because its meat is consumed by human.
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