Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Bushbuck

Tragelaphus scriptus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It is the only truly solitary, non-territorial antelope in Africa: neither males nor females defend any part of their home range, so a great many individual ranges overlap freely.

Weight

25 kg – 80 kg

Size

65 cm – 1 m

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Crepuscular

Active above all at dawn and dusk.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaFreshwaterHerbivore Crepuscular Solitary Savanna Freshwater Mammal

43countries 23parks86same family

Fun facts

It is the only truly solitary, non-territorial antelope in Africa.
It spends up to 80% of its life hidden beneath the forest canopy.
A wounded animal can charge with a ferocity worthy of a buffalo.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Forest edge and dense scrub near rivers and streams across much of sub-Saharan Africa
Birth weight: 3.8 - 4 kg
Size at birth: Precocial but hidden in dense vegetation for its first few months, its mother visiting only to nurse
Sexual maturity: 11-14 months (though males rarely mate before 3 years old)
Gestation / incubation: 180-188 days (~6 months)
Litter / clutch size: 1 calf per birth, with up to 2 births a year thanks to its short gestation
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 15.3 years in captivity

Sources consulted: World Species; Africa Mammals Guide; African Wildlife Foundation; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); BioDB; Animal Diversity Web; ResearchGate (Focus on the Bushbuck); Animalia.bio