Sitatunga - Tragelaphus spekii
Sitatunga are related to bushbuck and
kudu with whom they share spirally twisted horns and body stripes
but they have a hunched appearance, a dark shaggy coat and narrow
face. Only males carry shallow-spiraled and keeled horns. The average
horn length is 600 mm. The world record is 924 mm. The pelage of
ewes is a dark to reddish–brown with a black band running
down the center of the back, and with pale vertical stripes on the
sides, as well as lateral white bands and spots on the haunches.
Both sexes have a white band between the eyes, and white spots on
the cheeks. They also have two distinct white patches on the body,
one above the chest and one on the throat, below the chin. The tail
is black tipped, brown above and white below. Another characteristic
feature of Sitatunga, is the much elongated and splayed hooves and
enlarged false hooves, covered with a swollen leathery pad. This
is an obvious adaptation to the soft, muddy substrate of its habitat.
Feeding preference is for freshly sprouted reed tips, but will also
take aquatic grasses such as Eragrotis inamoena. Extremely specific
in their habitat. They are only found in dense and extensive reedbeds
of Papyrus, Phragmites and Typha. Because of the dense nature of
ideal habitats, and even with high sitatunga densities, observations
are understandably rare and intermitted. One is extremely lucky
to even get a glimpse of this species. They live almost permanently
in water and have evolved splayed hooves to allow them to move easily
in mud. The best chances of seeing this shy animal, other than from
the air, is to cruise quietly in a mokoro or walk around island
fringes in early morning and at dusk. The permanently flooded areas
of the Okavango south of the panhandle are the most rewarding areas.
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