Springbok

Springboks jump in great leaps for sheer joy of life and playfulness. These leaps can be as far as 25 m and as high as 3 m!

Fiery fighters

Springboks look a lot like gazelles but the positions of their horns and teeth are different. They prefer open spaces, easily surveyed, and avoid tall grass. Since Springboks feed on a wide variety of plants they live in large herds. This leads to many hierarchy fights among the males during rutting. These fights tend to be more severe than those among other gazelles of comparable size, and the shape of their horns has adapted to frequent head butting. The horns are hollow on the inside, unlike those of gazelles, and have a backward curve, like a goat’s. The females fight in the same way. Both sexes have the same large, lyre-shaped curved horns, with a length of up to 30 cm. The base of the horns is thick and strong to absorb impacts and to protect their brain.

Leaps of joy

The word ‘marsupialis’ in the Latin name Antidorcas marsupialis means something like pouch. This name is derived from the pouch on their back and hind quarters. They are able to open it like a bag and spread the bristles inside. This is most often done in a state of excitement accompanied by long high leaps. Other members of the herd will follow this example. The leaps can be as far as 15m and as high as 3m, not only in fear, but also as signs of exuberance and playfulness. Springboks live in the southern parts of Africa on farms, in National Parks and the South African deserts. They are very mobile and cover large distances in their wanderings. This is why they are called ‘treckbokken’ (wandering bucks) in Afrikaans.

unbelievable but true:

Springboks can survive on the water contained in plants. When all watering holes are dried out, they simply eat fleshy, thick-leafed plants and even dig for roots with their front hooves.