Tragelaphus scriptus sylvaticus (Sparrman, 1780)

Size and Coloration

Description: In general, bushbucks are smaller than other tragelaphines, and their main body base color is red or yellow-brown. Moodley et al. note that males from West African populations are more frequently striped than males from East or Southern African populations, though striped bushbucks can be found across the entire species range.

Nominate Subspecies Distribution

Distribution: This subspecies, the nominate taxon, occurs across a broad range: it is found in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and the Niger Basin of Nigeria extending east to the Cross River. Its range continues south of the Bamenda Highlands through Cameroon, Chad, and the Central African Republic, reaching the Nile in South Sudan and northern Uganda, and extends through Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to northern Angola.

Habitat and Abundance

Ecology: This subspecies is common throughout its broad geographic range. It inhabits wooded savannas, forest-savanna mosaics, rainforests, montane forests, and semi-arid zones. It is not present in the deep rainforests of the central Congo Basin.