The puku (''Kobus vardonii'') is a medium-sized

antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

found in wet

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur ...

in southern

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

and more concentrated in the Okavango Delta in

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

. Nearly one-third of all puku are found in

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s, zoos, and

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

s due to their diminishing

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

Description

Puku stand about at the shoulder and weigh from . The puku is sandy brown in colour, with the underbelly a slightly lighter brown. The coat is rougher than that of the similar-sized

southern reedbuck The southern reedbuck, rietbok or common reedbuck (''Redunca arundinum'') is a diurnal antelope typically found in southern Africa. It was first described by Pieter Boddaert, a Dutch physician and naturalist, in 1785. It is placed in the genu ...

, lechwe or impala, or the smaller oribi. Males have horns which are ridge-structured, long, and

lyre The lyre () (from Greek λύρα and Latin ''lyra)'' is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute family of instruments. In organology, a ...

-shaped.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies, the Senga Puku (''Kobus vardonii senganus'') and the southern puku (''Kobus vardonii vardonii'').

Ecology

Puku are found almost exclusively in

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

y grassland and dambos, where they eat

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

es. The puku diet is flexible in regards to type of grasses consumed. There is little dietary competition with other

bovid The Bovidae comprise the family (biology), biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes Bos, cattle, bison, Bubalina, buffalo, antelopes (including Caprinae, goat-antelopes), Ovis, sheep and Capra (genus), goats. A member o ...

s. This species is

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal (active during dawn), vespertine (biology), vespertine/vespertinal (active during dusk), or both. This is distinguished from diurnalit ...

, active in the early morning and late afternoon. When scared, puku repeat a shrill whistle sound. Females gather in

herd A herd is a social group of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with this is called '' herding''. These animals are known as gregarious animals. The term ''herd'' ...

s of up to 20 individuals. During the rainy season, herds will come together for added safety, typically reaching around 50 females. Males hold territories and attempt to persuade herds of females to stay within their territories for as long as possible. In the wet season, due to large floods in their habitat they migrate to a higher elevation and in the dry season remain near water.

Gallery

File:Puku male and female (Zambia).jpg, Male and female ''Kobus vardonii'', Kafue National Park, Zambia File:Puku female, South Luangwa.jpg, Female ''K. v. senganus'' and fawn, in South Luangwa NP, Zambia File:Puku Fawn Suckling Kafue Jul23 A7R 05264.jpg, ''Kobus vardonii'' female suckling fawn, Kafue National Park, Zambia File:Southern puku (Kobus vardonii vardonii) female.jpg, Female ''K. v. vardonii'', in

Chobe National Park Chobe National Park is Botswana's first national park, and also the most Biodiversity, biologically diverse. Located in the north of the country, it is Botswana's third largest park, after Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Gemsbok National Park. ...

, Botswana File:Southern puku (Kobus vardonii vardonii) female head.jpg, Female ''K. v. vardonii'', in

, Botswana File:Southern puku (Kobus vardonii vardonii) fawn.jpg, ''K. v. vardonii'' fawn, in

, Botswana

References

External links

1881 drawing of puku
{{Taxonbar, from=Q273577 Marsh antelopes Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mammals of Zambia Mammals of Tanzania Mammals described in 1857