As a prominent sign of sexual dimorphism, only males possess a pair of short, stout horns, that extend backward from the forehead and hook slightly forward. The horns measure about . However, some Senegalese individuals have longer and wide-spreading horns. In comparison to the other reedbucks, the bohor reedbuck has the shortest and most hooked horns. The longest horns are observed in "R. r. cottoni", which are hooked less than normal and may curve inwards. In contrast to "R. r. cottoni", "R. r. bohor" has short and stout horns, with hooks pointing forward. The length of the horns of an individual of a certain region seems to be related to the population density in that region to some extent. While short horns are observed in individuals of eastern Africa, where populations are dispersed, longer and wide-spreading horns are found on animals in the Nile valley, where populations are concentrated.