ATTACHMENT A 
DER ZOOLOGISCHE GARTEN 
AN, F.), Band 28, Helt6. 
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ABHANDLUNGEN | 
The Bongo ( Taurotragus eutietisl With Notes on 
: / Captive Animals . 
By Rona.p T. REvTHER, Cleveland 
With 5 figures : 
Received 5. March 1962 
The Bongo is one of the least known antelopes in the world. Originally . 
described by Ocrisy in 1836 from a pair of horns of unknown origin, its 
color and pattern was unknown until 1861 when Du CuatLtv described it 
' from a skin. Du CuamLuu gave the animal the name Bongo by which he 
said it was known to the natives of the Gaboon. Since its original discovery 
few specimens have been collected and only 9 individuals are known to have 
ever been captive outside Africa (Table I). Comments on captive animals at 
the Cleveland, Ohio, USA, Zoo and other zoos are included in the following 
discussion which attempts to collate the habits and characteristics of the 
bongo. Lack of information concerning the bongo is probably due to its 
secretive habits and its extremely rugged habitat, for it lives in heavy forest 
with thick undercover. PERcIVAL (1928) says: »There is little doubt but 
that it was s rinderpest that reduced this omelore almost to extinction in 
1896.4. a dagiteenlsen 2°" pies 
Classification and Nomenclature’ 
Like all antelopes this aa i8 pivced in fire family Bovidae. It is in the 
subfamily Bovinae, and the tribe Strepsicerotint, which includes the kudu and 
eland group, according to Smumpson (1945). The classification and nomen- 
clature has been rather confused through the years. Given the original generic 
name Boocercus by THOMAS in 1902, it was placed in the genus T'aurotragus 
by Simpson (1945) who places only the bongo and the elands in this genus. 
For years it was classed with the harnessed antelopes or bushbucks which 
were considered to be the 5 following species: Bongo, Nyala (Strepsiceros 
angast), Sitatunga (S. speket), Guib or Bushbuck (S. scriptus), and Harn- 
essed antelope (S. gratus). LYDEKKER (1894) thought it was closely related 
to the kudus, while RoosreveLt & HELLER (1914) placed it between »the 
bushbuck and an eland in size and in some respects in habits«. These same 
. authors say: »In the horned character of the female, the striped body and 
bovine tail, the bongo resembles the eland and may be considered its 
forest representative«. They also record that it is found in herds like the 
eland. Most modern writers relate it most closely to the clands. Recent — 
authors list only 3 races of the bongo as follows: Taurotragus eu. eurycerus 
Der Zool. Garten, Bd. 2, : . ae 20 3 
