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sitatunga

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sit⋅a⋅tun⋅ga

[sit-uh-toong-uh]
–noun
an antelope, Tragelaphus spekei, inhabiting marshy regions of central and eastern Africa.
Also, situtunga.
Also called marsh buck.


Origin:
1880–85; said to be < Lozi, Subiya, or Tonga (Bantu languages of W Zambia)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sit·a·tun·ga also sit·u·tun·ga   (sĭt'ə-tŏŏng'ə)   
n.  A medium-sized antelope (Tragelaphus spekei) of central and eastern Africa, having splayed hooves adapted to swampy and aquatic habitats.

[Of Bantu origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

sitatunga

(species Tragelaphus spekei), aquatic antelope, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), found in swamps and marshes of central Africa. The sitatunga swims, dives, and often feeds in the water and hides by submerging almost totally. Its long, spreading hooves and flexible foot joints enable it to walk with ease on soft ground. It attains a shoulder height of about 102 cm (40 inches) and has shaggy hair that is reddish brown in females, grayish brown in males. There is a white mark on the face, two white patches on the neck, and sometimes scattered white stripes on the body. The male has long, spiral horns

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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