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Springbok
Antidorcas marsupialis
-33.3333, 20.0333
Field Notes
Description:
The Springbok (Afrikaans and Dutch: spring = jump; bok = antelope or goat) (Antidorcas marsupialis) is a medium sized brown and white gazelle that stands about 70 to 87 cm (28 to 34 in) high. Springbok males weigh between 33 to 50 kg (73 to 110 lb) and the females between to 26 to 40 kg (57 to 88 lb). They can reach running speeds of up to 80 to 90 km/h (50 to 56 mph), and can leap 3.50 m and can long jump of up to 15 m.
When the male springbok is showing off his strength to attract a mate, or to ward off predators, he starts off in a stiff-legged trot, jumping up into the air with an arched back every few paces and lifting the flap along his back. Lifting the flap causes the long white hairs under the tail to stand up in a conspicuous fan shape, which in turn emits a strong floral scent of sweat. This ritual is known as pronking from the Afrikaans, meaning to boast or show off.
Habitat:
Springbok inhabit the dry inland areas of south and southwestern Africa. Their range extends from the northwestern part of South Africa through the Kalahari desert into Namibia and Botswana. Springboks can be found in numbers of up to 250,000 in South Africa. They used to be very common, forming some of the largest herds of mammals ever documented,[5] but their numbers have diminished significantly since the 19th century due to hunting and fences from farms blocking their migratory routes.
In South Africa springbok inhabit the vast grasslands of the Free State and the open shrublands of the greater and smaller Karoo. In Namibia they live in the grasslands of the south, the Kalahari desert to the east and the dry riverbeds of the northern bushveld of the Windhoek region. In Botswana they mostly live in the Kalahari Desert in the southwestern and central parts of the country.
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