Dietary preferences in extant African Bovidae

We present a synthesis of diet information for all 78 species of extant Afr ican Bovidae (excluding goats and sheep), based on an extensive survey of t he literature. We compiled data on food types (percentages of fruits, dicot elydons, and monocotyledons), seasonal and geographic variability, and body mass. Information reported in the literature was evaluated critically to a ssess its reliability. We performed cluster analyses to identify 6 discrete dietary strategies: frugivores, browsers, generalists, browser-grazer inte rmediates, variable grazers, and obligate grazers. We identified a positive correlation between an increase in the proportion of monocots in the diet and body mass, and a negative correlation between increases in proportions of dicots and fruits and body mass. We found some degree of correspondence between taxonomic groupings and dietary strategies. Species in the tribes A lcelaphini, Hippotragini, and Reduncini have high proportions of monocots i n their diets. Cephalophini, with the exception of Sylvicapra, are frugivor es. Tragelaphini and Neotragini, with the exception of Ourebia, have diets that include high proportions of dicots.