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Springbok, springbuck - ANTIDORCAS MARSUPIALIS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Springbok": "Springbok" is the Afrikaans (South African Dutch) word for "springing buck."
Location:Southern Africa.
Habitat:Terrestrial. Open dry plains.
Description: The head is white with a brown band through the eyes which runs from the cheeks to the tip of the nose. The overall coloring is reddish-brown with a darker strip separating the back from the white underside. On the top of the hindquarters there is a fold of skin, which is evident when the springbok is excited or alarmed. In such moments a conspicuous crest of long bristly white hairs appears. The horns are relatively short, powerful, markedly ringed, and average 14 inches long. The female's horns are lighter and shorter. The sprinbok grows about five feet long, three feet high at the shoulder, and can weigh 80 pounds.
Behavior: This gregarious antelope lives in mixed groups which split during the breeding season into separate herds of females and young males. Many adult males remain alone. Before their numbers were drastically reduced, huge herds of springboks used to make impressive migratory journeys, following the seasonal food supply, and damaging the country as they passed through. In some parts of the range these migrations still occur. It feeds on grass, leaves and shoots, and can go for long periods without water.
Reproduction: They mate in May and about six months later a single young is born.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
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