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Suni

Neotragus moschatus

Photo by Davidbygott
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

...A very small species of antelope. It occurs in south-east Africa in dense underbrush.

Suni are around 12–17 inches (30–43 cm) high at the shoulder and weigh 10–12 pounds (4.5–5.4 kg). They are usually reddish brown, darker on their back than their sides and legs. The belly, chin, throat and insides of legs are white. The nostrils are prominent red, and there are black rings around the eyes and above the hooves. Males have horns 3–5 inches (8–13 cm) long, that are ridged most of their length and curve backwards close to their heads. Females do not have horns. Suni can make weak barking and whistling sounds.

Suni feed on leaves, fungi, fruits and flowers, and need almost no free water. They are shy, most active at night, and sleep during the day in a shady, sheltered area. They are social but males defend a territory of about 3 hectares. They scent-mark the boundaries with secretions from their preorbital glands. There may be an individual or communal dung pile on the periphery of the territory. A male usually takes one mate, but other females may share his territory. A single calf is born weighing about two pounds, after a gestation of 183 days. (Wikipedia)

Habitat:

Montane forest about 7500'ASL

Notes:

Male, in grounds of Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (1)

Congrats! This spotting is being featured as a PN Fact of the Day: https://www.facebook.com/projectnoah/photos/a.10150595289465603.674700.10150120463815603/10154791481890603/?type=1&notif_t=scheduled_post_published Project Noah Fact of the Day: At around 12–17 inches (30–43 cm) high at the shoulder and weighing only 10–12 pounds (4.5–5.4 kg), the suni is one of the smallest species of antelope. Suni live in south-east Africa and prefer a habitat of dense underbrush. Camouflage and the element of surprise are their main defenses against predators. When a predator is almost on top of them, they spring out and bound away into the underbrush. Suni (Neotragus moschatus) spotted in Arusha, Tanzania by PN user Davidbygott: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/997426010

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