Overview
The Chanler Mountain Reedbuck is a small, elegant reedbuck. It is smaller than the Southern Mountain Reedbuck and its body is grayer, contrasting noticeably with its reddish neck and head. The horns are considerably shorter than those of a Southern Mountain Reedbuck, seldom-if ever-as long as the ears.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Redunca
- Species
- Redunca fulvorufula
Habitat
Mountainous regions. Distribution- Discontinuously in its specialized habitat, from Awash National Park in Ethiopia (its northernmost limit) southward along the Rift Valley in Ethiopia and western Kenya to northeastern Tanzania. It also occurs in extreme northeastern Uganda and extreme southeastern Sudan. In Ethiopia, Chanler mountain reedbucks are found mainly from 4,000-10,000 feet (1,200-3,000 m) along the Rift Valley, occupying isolated hills on the valley floor and on the slopes of both the walls. In Kenya and Tanzania they are commonest from about 6,000 feet (1,800 m) up, and are said to have been observed on Mt. Kilimanjaro at 18,000 feet (5,500 m).
Diet
Primarily grazes, and must drink regularly.
Behavior
These animals tend to remain in small herds, with less than 10 individuals comprising a herd. There is usually a dominant male accompanying several females and young, with juvenile males not included.
Hunting
The broken terrain these animals inhabit adds difficulty to the hunt, as does their tendency to remain close to cover.
Conservation Status
Listed as Vulnerable by IUCN.