# Bongo (*Tragelaphus eurycerus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/bongo  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Bovinae and tribe Tragelaphini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a giant, terrestrial, diurnal herbivore with an adult body mass of 329 kg. The bongo has 1 young per litter after a gestation period of 288 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 2.4 years. The IUCN Red List classifies the bongo as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category, and its lifespan is given as 19.42 years, with values up to 21.9 years reported.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 271 kg – 329 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 19.4 years – 21.9 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 288 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.33 years – 2.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.715 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Tragelaphus
- species: *Tragelaphus eurycerus* (Ogilby, 1837)

Synonyms: *Antilope eurycerus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a bongo?

The bongo is a mammal in the family Bovidae and the order Artiodactyla. It belongs to the subfamily Bovinae and the tribe Tragelaphini.

### How heavy is a bongo?

An adult bongo has a body mass of 329 kg, which places it in the giant size class (adult body mass over 250 kg).

### What does a bongo eat?

The bongo is a herbivore. It is a terrestrial animal that is active by day.

### Is the bongo endangered?

No. The bongo is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a bongo live?

The bongo's lifespan is given as 19.42 years, with values up to 21.9 years reported by sources.

### How many young does a bongo have?

A bongo has 1 young per litter, after a gestation period of 288 days.

### When does a bongo reach sexual maturity?

A bongo reaches sexual maturity at 2.4 years, with reported values from 2.3 to 2.5 years.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bongo