
Northern Bushbuck
Tragelaphus scriptus
Silhouette: Robert Hering ยท PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderArtiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates and Cetaceans)
- FamilyBovidae (Bovids)
- GenusTragelaphus (Spiral-horned Antelopes)
- SpeciesTragelaphus scriptus (Northern Bushbuck)
In 3 days >90%
About the Northern Bushbuck
The harnessed bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) or northern bushbuck, is a medium-sized antelope, widespread in sub-Saharan-Africa. The harnessed bushbuck species has been separated from the Cape bushbuck, a southern and eastern species.
In a 2007 study, 19 genetically-based groupings were found, some of which do not correspond to previously described subspecies; eight of these were grouped under the nominate taxon. Former subspecies included as synonyms to the nominate taxon are phaleratus, bor and dodingae.
Hassanin et al. (2018) found an mtDNA/nuclear DNA discordance between scriptus and sylvaticus clades. Their phylogenetic analyses showed that the scriptus (northern) lineage is a sister-group of sylvaticus (southern) lineage in the nuclear tree, whereas it has nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) haplotypes in the mitochondrial tree. They also found different karyotypes (chromosome numbers and arrangements), with those of scriptus deriving from the nyala. They concluded that scriptus (but not sylvaticus) had hybridized with an "extinct species closely related to T. angasii" in ancient times; and that "the division into two bushbuck species is supported by the analyses of...
Recent sightings of Northern Bushbuck in Chinko Conservation Area
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdare National Park | ๐ฐ๐ช Kenya | |
| 2 | Mole National Park | ๐ฌ๐ญ Ghana | |
| 3 | Arusha National Park | ๐น๐ฟ Tanzania | |
| 4 | Chinko Conservation Area | ๐จ๐ซ Central African Republic | |
| 5 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | ๐ธ๐ณ Senegal | |
| 6 | South Luangwa National Park | ๐ฟ๐ฒ Zambia | |
| 7 | Kafue National Park | ๐ฟ๐ฒ Zambia | |
| 8 | Lake Mburo National Park | ๐บ๐ฌ Uganda | |
| 9 | Pendjari National Park | ๐ง๐ฏ Benin | |
| 10 | Lake Manyara National Park | ๐น๐ฟ Tanzania | |
| 11 | Kidepo Valley National Park | ๐บ๐ฌ Uganda | |
| 12 | Akagera National Park | ๐ท๐ผ Rwanda | |
| 13 | Liwonde National Park | ๐ฒ๐ผ Malawi | |
| 14 | Garden Route National Park | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 15 | Kruger National Park | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 16 | Lower Zambezi National Park | ๐ฟ๐ฒ Zambia | |
| 17 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | ๐บ๐ฌ Uganda | |
| 18 | Mana Pools National Park | ๐ฟ๐ผ Zimbabwe | |
| 19 | Odzala-Kokoua National Park | ๐จ๐ฌ Republic of the Congo | |
| 20 | Bale Mountains National Park | ๐ช๐น Ethiopia | |
| 21 | Mikumi National Park | ๐น๐ฟ Tanzania | |
| 22 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 23 | Kibale National Park | ๐บ๐ฌ Uganda | |
| 24 | Volcanoes National Park | ๐ท๐ผ Rwanda | |
| 25 | Gonarezhou National Park | ๐ฟ๐ผ Zimbabwe | |
| 26 | Nairobi National Park | ๐ฐ๐ช Kenya | |
| 27 | Murchison Falls National Park | ๐บ๐ฌ Uganda | |
| 28 | Gorongosa National Park | ๐ฒ๐ฟ Mozambique | |
| 29 | Virunga National Park | ๐จ๐ฉ Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 30 | Masai Mara National Reserve | ๐ฐ๐ช Kenya | |
| 31 | Addo Elephant National Park | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 32 | Chobe National Park | ๐ง๐ผ Botswana | |
| 33 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | ๐น๐ฟ Tanzania | |
| 34 | Moremi Game Reserve | ๐ง๐ผ Botswana | |
| 35 | Tarangire National Park | ๐น๐ฟ Tanzania | |
| 36 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 37 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 38 | Pilanesberg National Park | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 39 | Serengeti National Park | ๐น๐ฟ Tanzania |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ragunan Zoo | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | |
| 2 | California Academy of Sciences | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| 3 | Kano Zoo | ๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria | |
| 4 | Valencia Bioparc | ๐ช๐ธ Spain | |
| 5 | Gladys Porter Zoo | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| 6 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 7 | Audu Bako Zoo | ๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria | |
| 8 | Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa |
Closest Relatives at Chinko Conservation Area
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Northern Bushbuck in Chinko Conservation Area?
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Bushbuck sighting in Chinko Conservation Area on a given day, based on 104 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 53 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Northern Bushbuck in Chinko Conservation Area?
March, JuneโJuly and November
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Bushbuck in Chinko Conservation Area on a given day, against about 40% in December, the lowest month.
What time of day is best to see a Northern Bushbuck?
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Bushbuck sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Chinko Conservation Area the best place to see a Northern Bushbuck?
4th of 39
Of the 39 parks where we can rate Northern Bushbuck sightings, Chinko Conservation Area ranks 4th at about 70%. The best odds are in Aberdare National Park (Kenya, about 80%), Mole National Park (Ghana, about 80%) and Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 80%). All parks ranked.
Where does the Northern Bushbuck sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Bushbuck is recorded against all the mammals logged in Chinko Conservation Area (104 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "โ". How it works.