Kobus vardonii
Silhouette: Jan A. Venter, Herbert H. T. Prins, David A. Balfour & Rob Slotow (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The puku (Kobus vardonii) is a medium-sized antelope found in wet grasslands in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and more concentrated in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Nearly one-third of all puku are found in protected areas, zoos, and national parks due to their diminishing habitat.
Puku stand about 80 cm (31 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 80 kg (150 to 180 lb). The puku is sandy brown in colour, with the underbelly a slightly lighter brown. The coat is rougher than that of the similar-sized southern reedbuck, lechwe or impala, or the smaller oribi. Males have horns which are ridge-structured, 50 cm (20 in) long, and lyre-shaped.
There are two subspecies, the Senga Puku (Kobus vardonii senganus) and the southern puku (Kobus vardonii vardonii). Puku are found almost exclusively in marshy grassland and dambos, where they eat grasses. The puku diet is flexible in regards to type of grasses consumed. There is little dietary competition with other bovids. This species is crepuscular, active in the early morning and late afternoon. When scared, puku repeat a shrill whistle sound. Females gather... Wikipedia →
Alarm call0:15
Zambia · 2023
© Marc Anderson · XC1077455 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 2 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 3 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Pal | 🇫🇷 France |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Puku sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 111 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 23 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Puku in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, against about 20% in March, the lowest month. December and January have too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Puku sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Puku sightings, South Luangwa National Park has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Kafue National Park (Zambia, about 70%) and Chobe National Park (Botswana, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Puku is recorded against all the mammals logged in South Luangwa National Park (111 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 "—". How it works.
