- Art Gallery -

Kobus vardonii

Kobus vardonii (*)

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Superordo: Cetartiodactyla
Ordo: Artiodactyla
Subordo: Ruminantia
Familia: Bovidae
Subfamilia: Reduncinae
Genus: Kobus
Species: Kobus vardonii

Name

Kobus vardonii (Livingstone, 1857)

References

* Kobus vardonii on Mammal Species of the World.
* Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2 Volume Set edited by Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder
* IUCN link: Kobus vardonii (Livingstone, 1857) (Near Threatened)

Vernacular names
Internationalization
English: Puku
Polski: Puku

The Puku (Kobus vardonii) is an antelope found in wet grasslands in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Namibia and in Zambia.

Puku stand about 80 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 80 kilograms. Puku are sandy brown in colour, the underbelly is a slightly lighter brown. Their coat is rougher than the similar-sized Southern Reedbuck, Lechwe or Impala, or the smaller Oribi. Males have around 50 centimetre long ridge structured horns which are very vaguely lyre-shaped.

Puku are found almost exclusively in marshy grassland and dambos where they eat grass. Puku are crepuscular, they are active in the early morning and late afternoon. When scared, Puku repeat a shrill whistle sound. Females gather in herds of up to twenty individuals. During the rainy season many herds will come together for added safety, typically reaching around fifty females. Males hold territories and attempt to persuade herds of females to stay within their territories for as long as possible.
References

^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2008). Kobus vardonii. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 17 January 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of near threatened

Biology Encyclopedia

Mammals Images

Source: Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License