Springbok

Taxonomy

Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordate
Class- Mammalia
Family- Bovidae
Order- Therapsid
Genus- Antidorcas
Species- Springbok

Subspecies

Angolan Springbok

The angolan subspecies has a brown to tawny coat, with thick, dark brown stripes on the face extending two-thirds down to the snout.

Cape Springbok

the Cape subspieces is a dark brown, with thin, light face stripes.

Western Springbok

this subspecies has a light brown, with thin, dark brown face stripes. The stripes on the flanks are dark brown to black

Springbok Relatives and Closest Living relative

Closest living relative- Antelope

Extinct Ancestors-

Antidorcas Bondi- went extinct 5000 years ago

Antidorcas Australis- went extinct 7000 years ago

Antidorcas Recki- went extinct 100,000 years ago

Horns

Their horns are composed of keratin and unlike deer, they are permanently attached to the head and cannot be shed at all.

Pronking

a peculiar feature of a springbok is pronking , in which the springbok performs multiple leaps into the air, up to 3 meters above the ground.

Pouch

The springbok’s most distinguishing feature is the skin fold that extends between the mid-back section and the tail.

Animal Description

Weight- 60-93 pounds

Height- 28-23 inches at shoulder

Lifespan- 7-9 years

Gender Differences

Females have thinner horns

Females have shorter horns

Where are They Found?

Springbok live in the south and southwestern Africa, particularly in Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and South Africa.

-not invasive anywhere

Diet

Springbok are browsers and sometimes graze, they feed on shrubs like Lampranthus and Themeda triandra. Springbok can go years without water, the plants they consume contain enough water for them to survive.

Reproduction

-mate up to 2 times a year but its common to mate once a year

-do not have a set mate for life

-most common to mate in spring when food is most plentiful

-Bucks fight over territory for females

-Females produce 1 offspring but sometimes have twins

- Males will establish territories with urine and dung for females

Development

-In the womb for 6 months

-drink their mothers milk

-Stop drinking milk after 5 months and leaves mother

-Able to reproduce after 2 years

Males Vs Females

-Males will attract females to their territories

-Females will go to different males territories finding the best one

Social Structure

Springbok will live in packs but males will break away during mating season. more experienced springbok will lead others to more water during dry season. nor male nor female lead the groups. They may make occasional low pitched bellows as a greeting and a high pitched snorts when alarmed.

Causes of Death

Springbok are a common food source from large predators such as cheetahs, lions, hyenas, wild dogs, leopards, caracals. Getting killed between males during mating season is extremely uncommon but it happens sometimes. Springbok usually dont live old enough to get killed by disease but are commly hosted by parasites such as lice, helminths and ticks.

Competition

Springbok do not have any competition with each other or any other species for food or water due to the fact that they can get their water from the plants they eat and that the food they eat is so abundant. There are no invasive species affecting the springbok.

IUCN Ration

-Rated Least Concern

-1,400,000-1,750,000 individuals

-population is trending upward

Impact of Humans

-Springbok is one of the highest killed animals by humans in africa

-A future impact could be overhunting

-humans have been killing them for thousands of years

-Springbok awareness campaigns have been put in place in protect springbok.

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