Antidorcas marsupialis
springbok

Springbok range includes south and southwestern Africa, mainly in the countries of Namibia, Botswana, Angola and the Republic of South Africa.

Springboks are mostly confined to game reserves and farms in treeless savanna associated with the edges of dry lake beds.

The springbok is a strikingly marked, gazellelike antelope. It has a white face with dark stripes from the mouth to the eyes, a reddish-brown coat that turns to a darker shade and then to white on the lower third of its body, and a white backside. It stands approximately 80cm high at the shoulders and is characterized by a fold of skin that runs from the midback to the rump. This fold can be opened in times of excitement to display a crest of white hair. Both sexes also have black, curved, lyre-shaped horns. Larger males can have horns 36-48cm in length.

The springbok generally mates during the dry season and lactates during the hot, wet season when resources are most abundant. Birth takes place in Oct-Nov, the start of the wet season. Gestation is approximately 4-6 months and females generally reproduce every 2 years, starting between the ages of 1 and 2. Weaning usually occurs from 6 months to 1 year. The parental contribution is mainly by the mother, as springboks tend to live in herds of females and their offspring along with very few dominant males. Life expectancy of an average springbok is 7-9 years.

During mating season, most males wander together in search of mates, while females live in herds with their offspring and very few dominant males. The wandering males are of lower status for a variety of reasons. Some are lower ranking due to being young or very old. Others have lost out in competition with dominant males for estrus females. When frightened or excited, a springbok makes a series of stiff-legged vertical leaps up to 3.5m high. This behavior is known as pronking and is performed with the head down, the hooves bunched, and the back arched. The leaps are said to distract predators, such as lions and cheetahs.

Springboks used to travel/live in mega-herds, known as "treks," but because springboks are now mostly confined to private farms and game reserves, treks are few and are limited to remote areas of Angola and Botswana.

The springbok is an intermediate browser, using both grass and browse. The shift from one food source to the other takes place seasonally. It is largely due to the need for water in the hot, dry season when the natural water supplies are not constant, during which time flowers are eaten. These flowers have double the mean water content of the grass that is consumed in times of water availability (during the hot, wet season). Utilizing food resources in this way allows springboks to remain independent of a constant water supply, whether it be from man-made watering holes, natural water holes, or other water supplies. This is a great advantage in a climate where droughts are common.

The springbok is the Republic of South Africa's sporting emblem. It is respected and honored in that country, which has lead to a moderate increase in protection. Only with special permission or a special license can hunters pursue the springbok. Springbok are popular attractions for tourists at game reserves and private farms. Previously, when hunting without a license for springbok was legal, the meat of springboks provided an abundant supply of protein to a growing population in southern Africa.

Previously, when the springbok traveled in large numbers, they caused extensive crop damage to the Dutch farms.

Springbok once traveled by the hundreds and even millions. Springbok were hunted by the Dutch farmers whose crops were ruined by "treks" of springbok travelling in search of food and water. Springbok are now being introduced in game reserves and private farms in an effort to preserve the species.