Redunca fulvorufula

Geographic Range

Mountain reedbucks inhabit three separate geographic areas, each containing a recognized subspecies. Southern mountain reedbucks are found from the eastern Cape Province to southeastern Botswana. Throughout history some populations have disappeared in this range for various reasons. The East African subspecies (Chanler's Mountain Reedbuck) is found in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The West African subspecies has only been found in Camroon.

• Biogeographic Regions
• ethiopian ethiopian
  • native native

Habitat

Mountain reedbucks are normally found in hilly, broken terrain with grasses dominating the ground cover. They inhabit areas with scattered trees with water sources nearby. They will use flat terrain adjacent to hilly and broken terrain.

• Habitat Regions
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland
• scrub forest scrub forest
• mountains mountains

Physical Description

An adult male mountain reedbuck is about 70 cm tall at the shoulders and weighs 30 kg. The species is characterized by short curved horns. Adult female mountain reedbucks are smaller than males, but both sexes have grayish brown hair on the body, rufous necks, white undersides, and a bushy tail with a white underside. Both males and females also display a dark scent patch underneath the ears.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• male larger
• ornamentation ornamentation

Reproduction

Redunca fulvorufula is polygynous. Reproduction throughout the year can be observed in mountain reedbucks but the peak of the breeding activity is in summer and autumn with the peak of the lambing season during the summer rain periods.

• Mating System
• polygynous polygynous

Female mountain reedbucks can experience first estrus at 9 to 12 months, but most do not experience it until 12 to 24 months. Males produce viable sperm at 1 year. Lambing intervals run from 9 months to 14 months with the gestation period normally eight months. One lamb is typically born at a time.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
• viviparous viviparous

No information was found on parental care of the mountain reedbuck. However, in general, bovids produce precocious offspring which are able to follow the mother from a very early age. The female provides her young with milk until weaning. Because the interbirth intervalis about one year, it is safe to assume that at offspring is weaned before it is a year old.

• Parental Investment
• no parental involvement
• altricial altricial
• pre-fertilization
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-independence
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Although no lifespan has been reported for R. fulvorufula , another species in the genus, R. redunca is reported to live as long as 18 years in captivity. It is likely that mountain reedbucks are similar.

In one study the number of carcasses found increased during the late winter period which indicated the animals are in bad condition in winter leading to higher mortality. This also indicated mountain reedbuck are more vulnerable to predation during times of low productivity.

Behavior

Mountain redbucks are large, terrestrial bovids. They can be active at any time of day, but seem to prefer to feed in the early morning, evening, and sometimes through the night.

Mountain reedbucks are normally found in small groups of six or less animals. A typical group is made up of one adult male and several adult females and juveniles. The dominant males will tolerate younger males, but normally the younger males will form bachelor groups and live on the outside of the herd. The dominant males will mark their territory using visual displays, olfactory, and auditory signals. Once these territories have been marked they will normally remain there for the whole year.

• Key Behaviors
• terricolous
• nocturnal nocturnal
• crepuscular crepuscular
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• territorial territorial
• social social

Home Range

Males defend a territory 15 to 48 ha.

Communication and Perception

Mountain reedbucks will use a shrill whistle to indicate danger nearby. They will also use a whistle to warn other animals of its home range along with scent and visual displays.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

• Other Communication Modes
• pheromones pheromones
• scent marks scent marks

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Mountain reedbucks have been recognized as roughage grazers that primarily feed on grasses. In one study monocots constituted 99.5% of the material found in the rumen. Mountain reedbucks possess the ability to selectively graze to obtain the highest nutrition from a low quality diet.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • folivore folivore

• Plant Foods
• leaves

Predation

Predators of the mountain reedbuck include lions, leopards, wild dogs, jackals, and caracal, and sometimes baboons. There is currently no evidence to show predation as a limiting factor on reedbuck populations. The only predator that may pose a threat to the populations is humans and the over-hunting of mountain reedbuck.

Ecosystem Roles

As folivores, mountain reedbucks provide an important link in food webs. they are hunted by lions, leopards, wild dogs, jackals, and caracal, and sometimes baboons. Therfore, as a prey species, they potentially impact the populations of predators. They probably also influence the growth of vegetation through their own foraging behavior.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Mountain reedbucks possess qualities that make them a challenge for sport hunting and are sought after for their venison. They are also an important animal for wildlife viewing. According to Irby (1975), mountain reedbucks represent a species that should be encouraged in the Cape Province for its ecological, recreational, and aesthetic values.

• Positive Impacts
• food food
• ecotourism ecotourism

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Mountain reedbucks can compete with domestic livestock for available grazing habitat, but for the most part they inhabit areas that are undesirable for cattle.

Conservation Status

Hunting of mountain reedbucks must be managed carefully since the animals do not move to areas of high productivity. Hunting has not been shown to be a major factor in negatively impacting populations of mountain reedbucks, but it has been in other ungulate populations. The mountain reedbuck is listed as conservation dependent by IUCN.

Other Comments

The author wishes to thank Dr. Lynn Irby, from Montana State University, for providing me with his work on mountain reedbucks.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Nancy Shefferly (editor), Animal Diversity Web.

Ashly Steinke (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Chris Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

References

Irby, L. 1973. A preliminary report on the mountain reedbuck ( Redunca fulvorufula ) in the Loskop Dam Nature Preserve. Journal of South African Wildlife Management , 3/2: 53-58.

Irby, L. 1977. Food habits of Chanler's mountain reedbuck in a rift valley ranch. East African Wildlife Journal , 15/4: 289-294.

Irby, L. 1975. Meat production potential of mountain reedbuck. South African Journal of Animal Science , 5: 67-76.

Irby, L. 1987. Mountain Reedbuck. Pelea , 6.

Irby, L. 1979. Reproduction in mountain reedbuck. Mammalia , 43: 191-213.

Nowak, R. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition . Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.