Cape bushbuck
| Cape bushbuck | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male,Kenya | |
| |
| Female,Zimbabwe | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Genus: | Tragelaphus |
| Species: | T. sylvaticus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tragelaphus sylvaticus (Sparrman, 1780)
| |
| |
| Combined range of Cape andharnessed bushbuck | |
TheCape bushbuck(Tragelaphus sylvaticus), also known asimbabalais a common, medium-sizedbushland-dwelling, and a widespread species ofantelopeinsub-Saharan Africa.[2][3]It is found in a wide range ofhabitats,such asrain forests,montane forests,forest-savannamosaic, savanna,bushveld,and woodland.[3]It stands around 90 cm (35 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 45 to 80 kg (99 to 176 lb). They are generally solitary, territorialbrowsers.
Taxonomy[edit]
| Phylogenetic relationships of the mountain nyala from combined analysis of all molecular data (Willows-Munro et.al. 2005) |
The taxonomy of bushbuck, and of theTragelaphinitribe in general, has been contested. Bushbuck have been fractured into over 40subspeciesin the past.mtDNAprofiles of a large number of samples were resolved in 2009 as belonging to 19 groups, some corresponding to previously described subspecies, while others were previously unrecognised and remained unnamed. These groups were then organised into twotaxa- anominatenorthern subspecies (T. s. scriptus) and a southern subspeciesT. s. sylvaticus.In the 1780 original description ofT. sylvaticusfrom theCape Regionby Sparrman, no mention was made of striping. According to Moodleyet al., males of type populations inWest Africaare more often striped than southern and eastern specimens,[3]although this is not always the case.
In 2011, Groves and Grubb advocated recognising eight species of bushbuck:T. scriptus(Pallas, 1766);T. phaleratus(Hamilton Smith, 1827);T. borHeuglin, 1877;T. decula(Rüppell, 1835);T. menelikiNeumann, 1902;T. fasciatusPocock, 1900;T. ornatusPocock, 1900; andT. sylvaticus(Sparrman, 1780), grouped in a northern and southern 'group'.[4]The Ethiopian endemic species known as Menelik's bushbuck ordeculawas classified as ascriptusgroup species as opposed to Woodley. In the case ofTragelaphus,these 'species' would be based mostly on geography and pelage as opposed to genetics.[5]These proposals are controversial.[6]
In 2018, Hassanin et al. published a molecular phylogenetic study that provided support for thescriptusandsylvaticusspecies, with a divergence time of at least 2 million years, albeit with considerable genetic diversity within each of these groups.[7]
Description[edit]
Cape bushbucks stand around 90 cm (35 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 60 to 80 kg (130 to 180 lb) in males and 25 to 60 kg (55 to 132 lb)in females.[8]They have a light brown coat, with up to seven white stripes and white splotches on the sides. The white patches are usually geometrically shaped and on the most mobile parts of their bodies, such as the ears, chin, tail, legs, and necks. The muzzles are also white. Horns, found only on the males, can reach over half a metre and have a single twist. At 10 months old, young males sprout horns that are particularly twisted and at maturity form the first loop of a spiral.[9]
The Cape bushbuck has on average less striping and more uniform colouration than populations in West Africa.[3]Cape bushbuck occur from the Cape inSouth Africato Angola andZambiaand up the eastern part of Africa to Ethiopia and Somalia, according to one interpretation.[10]Other interpretations restrict the taxon toSouthern Africasensu strictoor consider themsensu latoto occur in the above range except eastern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia.[5]The first Latin name that can be attributed to the Cape bushbuck wasAntilope sylvaticaafter Sparrman (1780), described from the Cape Colony.[citation needed]
Ecology[edit]
Bushbuckbrowseon trees, shrubs, and forbs; they rarely if ever eat grasses. Studies of free-ranging bushbuck in various parts of southeastern Africa usingDNA metabarcodingshow that bushbuck frequently forage on acacias (Senegalia,Vachellia) and other legumes, along withmallows(Grewia,Hibiscus), bushwillows (Combretum),buckthorns(Berchemia,Ziziphus) and various other plants.[11][12]Bushbuck are active throughout the day, but tend to benocturnalnear human habitations.
Bushbuck are solitary animals, but are not aggressively antisocial, and individuals sometimes forage in close proximity.[13]Bushbuck live within a "home" area, which is usually around 50,000 m2on the savannah and much larger in the forest, that they will not normally leave. These areas usually overlap other bushbuck home areas.
Some game farmers in southern Africa discovered that the bushbuck may compete with the closely related, largernyalawhen they tried to introduce the two species to the same area. However, the two species are often found in close proximity in natural communities (e.g., inGorongosa National Park,Mozambique).[14]
References[edit]
- ^IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]."Tragelaphus scriptus".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2016:e.T22051A115165242.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22051A50196111.en.Retrieved18 January2024.
- ^Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009).Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both?Archived2011-07-08 at theWayback MachineGnusletter,28(1):18-19.
- ^abcdMoodley, Y.; et al. (September 2009)."Analysis of mitochondrial DNA data reveals non-monophyly in the bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) complex ".Mammalian Biology.74(5): 418–422.Bibcode:2009MamBi..74..418M.doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2008.05.003.Retrieved7 April2021.
- ^Groves, Colin; Grubb, Peter (2011-11-15).Ungulate Taxonomy.JHU Press.ISBN978-1-4214-0093-8.
- ^abGroves, C.; Grubb, P. (2011).Ungulate Taxonomy.The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ^Heller, R.; Frandsen, P.; Lorenzen, E. D.; Siegismund, H. R. (2013)."Are there really twice as many bovid species as we thought?".Systematic Biology.62(3): 490–493.doi:10.1093/sysbio/syt004.hdl:10400.7/566.PMID23362112.
- ^Hassanin, Alexandre; Houck, Marlys L.; Tshikung, Didier; Kadjo, Blaise; Davis, Heidi; Ropiquet, Anne (2018-12-01)."Multi-locus phylogeny of the tribe Tragelaphini (Mammalia, Bovidae) and species delimitation in bushbuck: Evidence for chromosomal speciation mediated by interspecific hybridization".Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.129:96–105.Bibcode:2018MolPE.129...96H.doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.08.006.ISSN1055-7903.PMID30121341.S2CID52038847.
- ^Haltenorth, T., & Diller, H. (1977). Säugetiere Afrikas und Madagaskars. (No Title).
- ^"Bushbuck".African Wildlife Foundation.RetrievedJune 28,2008.
- ^Moodley Y, Bruford MW. (2007)Molecular biogeography: Towards an integrated framework for conserving pan-African biodiversity.PLoS ONE.2:e454.
- ^Atkins, Justine L.; Long, Ryan A.; Pansu, Johan; Daskin, Joshua H.; Potter, Arjun B.; Stalmans, Marc E.; Tarnita, Corina E.; Pringle, Robert M. (2019-04-12)."Cascading impacts of large-carnivore extirpation in an African ecosystem".Science.364(6436): 173–177.Bibcode:2019Sci...364..173A.doi:10.1126/science.aau3561.ISSN0036-8075.PMID30846612.S2CID73492605.
- ^Pansu, Johan; Hutchinson, Matthew C.; Anderson, T. Michael; te Beest, Mariska; Begg, Colleen M.; Begg, Keith S.; Bonin, Aurelie; Chama, Lackson; Chamaillé-Jammes, Simon; Coissac, Eric; Cromsigt, Joris P. G. M.; Demmel, Margaret Y.; Donaldson, Jason E.; Guyton, Jennifer A.; Hansen, Christina B. (2022-08-30)."The generality of cryptic dietary niche differences in diverse large-herbivore assemblages".Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.119(35): e2204400119.Bibcode:2022PNAS..11904400P.doi:10.1073/pnas.2204400119.ISSN0027-8424.PMC9436339.PMID35994662.
- ^Estes, Richard (1991).The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates.University of California Press.ISBN978-0-520-08085-0.
- ^Daskin, Joshua H.; Becker, Justine A.; Kartzinel, Tyler R.; Potter, Arjun B.; Walker, Reena H.; Eriksson, Fredrik A. A.; Buoncore, Courtney; Getraer, Alexander; Long, Ryan A.; Pringle, Robert M. (2022-09-22)."Allometry of behavior and niche differentiation among congeneric African antelopes".Ecological Monographs.93.doi:10.1002/ecm.1549.ISSN0012-9615.S2CID250587376.
External links[edit]
- .Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). 1911.
- Gilman, D. C.;Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905)..New International Encyclopedia(1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.