Springbock

Springboks are so named because they can jump very high from a standing position. The animals with curved horns belong to the gazelle family.

Characteristics

What does a springbok look like?

Springboks are even-toed ungulates and ruminants. They belong to the bovid family and there to the subfamily of the gazelle-like. They measure up to 80, sometimes 90 centimeters up to the shoulder. The females measure 120 to 145 centimeters from the snout to the bottom and weigh 20 to 30 kilograms, the males are 125 to 150 centimeters long and weigh 25 to 35, maximum of 45 kilograms.

The elegantly curved horns with a ringed structure are striking. They are 36 to 43 centimeters long. The ears are also long and rounded at the top. The back is light brown and the belly is white. A dark, reddish-brown stripe runs lengthwise on the flanks, separating the back and belly. The head is light-colored, with a narrow black stripe running down each side from the eyes to the corners of the mouth.

Where does the springbok live?

The springbok lives in southern Africa in the countries of Namibia, South Africa, Angola, and Botswana. Springboks are found in the open savannah, i.e. in areas with short grass and loose trees and shrubs, but also in semi-deserts. It is important that their habitat is open and they have a good view.

What springbok species are there?

Although springboks are reminiscent of gazelles, they form a separate genus. They are very similar in appearance to Thomson’s gazelles. However, these are smaller and much more delicate. Also, Thomson’s gazelles have straight horns, while springboks have curved ones.

How old do springboks get?

Springboks can live nine to twelve years. In captivity, they can even live up to 20 years.

Behave

How do springboks live?

Springbok are social animals and are both diurnal and nocturnal. At hot midday, they usually rest in the shade. They live in small groups during the dry season. These consist of females and they’re young. Young males form their own small herds. In the rainy season, the small groups form large herds of several thousand animals. They migrate together to new grazing areas. Springbok herds often join forces with herds of other gazelles or with zebra herds. Sometimes they also mingle with the flocks of ostriches, the large African ratites.

The springbok got its name from a typical behavior: if the animals are frightened, they jump up to three and a half meters into the air from a standing position with hunched backs and stiff legs. The head hangs down almost to the feet. This behavior is called “showing off”. When one animal begins to do this, the others often follow suit. The arching of the back opens up two skin folds running parallel to the back and long white hairs become visible.

What these jumps mean is not entirely clear. Some researchers believe that the springboks use this to warn their fellows when they have spotted a predator. Others suspect that they want to show a predator that they have spotted it and that attacking is pointless. However, even when attacked by predators, springbok are not vulnerable. The slender animals belong to the three fastest mammals after the cheetah. They reach a speed of up to 90 kilometers per hour, and just two seconds after the start they are up to 62 kilometers per hour.

Springbok used to be heavily hunted because their meat was eaten and because they were considered pests that ate up farmers’ fields. In South Africa, they were even extinct in the 19th century. However, they were resettled in the 20th century. There are attempts in South Africa to keep springbok as a game and to market their meat.

Friends and foes of the springbok

Predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas are among the springbok’s enemies.

How does the springbok reproduce?

The mating season is in May. Then each male tries to gather a group of up to 30 females around him. Such groups are called harem associations. The buck marks its territory and drives away any rivals that approach its herd. After a gestation period of almost six months, each female gives birth to a young, and there are only very rarely twins.

Newborn springboks can walk after just a few hours. They are nursed by their mother for a year. Then they are adults and become sexually mature. The males do not take care of the rearing of the young.

How do springboks communicate?

Springboks can make whistling or snorting sounds.

Care

What do springbok eat?

Springbok are pure vegetarians. They feed primarily on grass and herbs, but also on the leaves and shoots of trees and shrubs such as acacia. To reach the leaves of higher trees, they stand on their hind legs. If food becomes scarce, springbok will also eat roots, bulbs, and tubers, which they scrape out of the ground with their hooves. If water is available, springbok will drink heavily. They also eat water-storing plants to make use of the water they contain, but they can also go long without water.