Antelope Flashcards
Springbok | Springbuck
Antidorcas marsupialis
Swartwildebees | Black Wildebeest
The black wildebeest gets its alternative common name of ‘white-tailed gnu’ from its white tail and from the male’s ‘ge-nu’ call. Both male and female black wildebeest have horns, but those of the male are larger and are expanded at the base.
Connochaetes gnou
Gemsbok | Oryx
Gemsbok calves lack any black body markings.
Oryx gazella
Vaal Ribbok / Reebok | Grey Rhebuck
The Afrikaans/Dutch spelling, reebok, is responsible for the name of the British sportswear manufacturing company Reebok.
Pelea capreolus
Basterwaterbok | Red / Southern Lechwe
The hindquarters are noticeably higher than the forequarters.
Kobus leche leche
Steenbok
Probably the most abundant small antelope occurring in South Africa. Hind quarters and underparts are pure white. Only rams have upright, slender horns projecting above the eyes. Conspicuous black, facial glands are situated in front of the large, dark brown eyes.
Raphicerus campestris
Damhert | Fallow Deer
Tipe takbok ingevoer na SA.
Dama dama
Duiker | Common / Grey Duiker
Has a habit of ducking away into bushes when danger threatens. They are one of the very few antelope to have been known to eat insects and carrion. There are 22 species of duikers that occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and they range from the 3 kilogram blue duiker to the 70 kilogram yellow-backed duiker.
Sylvicapra grimmia
Swartwitpens | Sable
This stunning antelope rivals even the greater kudus as the most handsome of all antelope, with its powerful, robust build, vertical mane and fantastically long, curved horns, which arch majestically backwards. The semi-circular, ridged horns are longer and thicker in males.
Hippotragus niger
Swartspringbok | Black Springbok
‘n Kleurmutasie.
Rooibok | Impala
One of the most abundant antelopes in Africa. Renowned for their spectacular leaps over shrubs and bushes, when alarmed.
Aepyceros melampus
Blesbok / Bontebok
Bontebok was hunted so severely by colonists that in 1830 only 22 remained. Today they are protected in the Bontebok National Park, which was proclaimed in 1931. Today the polutation is about 3,500.
Damaliscus pygargus
Rooihartbees | Red Hartebeest
Both sexes have heavily ringed horns. The name Hartebeest was thought to refer to the heart shaped curve of the horns but the accepted theory now is that it comes from the Dutch word hert which means deer in Dutch and beest meaning beast. The term hartebeest was used by the early Boers who thought the animals looked like a deer. Hartebeest is the Afrikaans for hertebeest.
Alcelaphus caama
Eland | Common Eland
One of the largest antelopes in existence. The massive adult males can be recognised by the large fold of loose skin that hangs below the throat (the dewlap). Male weight: 400 – 942 kg.
Tragelaphus oryx
Bosbok | Buschbuck
The bushbuck will hardly ever be found in an area of close proximity to nyala as Nyala will always drive them away. All bushbuck live within a “home” area they will not normally leave this area, which is usually around 50 000 square metres on the savannah and much larger in the forest.
Tragelaphus scriptus
Tsessebe | Basterhartbees | Bastard Hartebeest | Topi
Known for its distinctive sentry position on termite mounds as it surveys its range, the topi has a short, glossy, brown coat with a bold pattern of black patches, and fawn coloured underparts and legs. Horns are S-shaped (‘half-moon’ shaped) and ringed.
Damaliscus lunatus
Koedoe | Kudu
Tragelaphus strepsiceros
Suidelike rietbok | Southern reedbuck
Identified by the distinctive dark lines that run down the front of each of its forelegs and lower hindlegs.
Redunca arundinum
Waterbok / Kringgat | Waterbuck
Waterbucks drink an unusually large amount of water for an antelope, hence the reason why they are never found too far from a water source.
Kobus ellipsiprymnus
Njala | Nyala
Marked with white vertical stripes and spots on the flanks. An interesting fact is that the juvenile males look like females. It is thought that this camouflages the young males and protects them from the jealous eyes of the dominant bulls.
Nyala angasii
Klipspringer
It is unique amongst the antelope for walking on the tips of its hooves and it has a remarkable dense, coarse coat consisting of hollow hairs that rustle when shaken or touched. Klipspringers inhabit rocky, stony ground with abundant short vegetation from coastal hills up to elevations of 4,500 m.
Oreotragus oreotragus
