| Sharpe's grysbok | |
|---|---|
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| Male and female in the Kruger National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Antilopinae |
| Genus: | Raphicerus |
| Species: | R. sharpei |
| Binomial name | |
| Raphicerus sharpei Thomas, 1897 | |
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| range | |
Sharpe's or northern grysbok (Raphicerus sharpei) is a small, shy, solitary antelope that is found from tropical to south-eastern Africa.
They are found in the Transvaal (South Africa), the Caprivi Strip (Namibia), Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania to Lake Victoria.
It is similar in size to the gray duiker, but has a stockier body and shaggy fur over the hindquarters. It stands about 20" (45–60 cm) at the shoulders and weighs only 7–11.5 kg. Its coat is reddish-brown streaked with white; eye-rings, muzzle, throat and underside are off-white. The males have stubby horns, which are widely spaced. Sharpe's grysbok has a short, deep muzzle with large mouth and heavy molars for grinding. The short neck and head on a long-legged body result in a high-rumped posture when browsing.
Although widespread, Sharpe's grysbok is infrequently seen. Males and females seem to form brief associations, but the species is usually encountered singly. Territory is marked with dung middens. Their habitat is rocky hill country, but preferring fertile zones on the lower slopes. They are nocturnal browsers and spend the day in the protective cover of tall grass or shrubs. They are extremely timid and will run away at the first sign of anything unusual, although this flight is accompanied "short stamping hops"; [2] they move well away from where the disturbance occurred before stopping (unlike steenbok, which stop and look back). [3] Sharpe's Grysbok are reported to take refuge in aardvark burrows, like steenbok.
Sharpe's grysbok browse on leaves, buds, herb and fruits—in the dry season, their food is typically tough (for which their teeth and jaws are adapted). Grazed grass makes up about 30% of their diet. [2] Like the Cape grysbok they use a communal latrine and mark sticks in its vicinity with pre-orbital gland secretions. [4]
The closely related Cape (or southern) grysbok (R. melanotis) occurs in the western Cape region. In the 1980s, Haltenorth and Diller [5] considered R. sharpei as a subspecies of R. melanotis, but it is now known to be more closely related to the steenbok. [6]
The Cape bushbuck, also known as imbabala is a common, medium-sized bushland-dwelling, and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa. It is found in a wide range of habitats, such as rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaic, savanna, bushveld, and woodland. It stands around 90 cm (35 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 45 to 80 kg. They are generally solitary, territorial browsers.
The sable antelope is a large antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separated population in Angola.
The hirola, also called the Hunter's hartebeest or Hunter's antelope, is a critically endangered antelope species found as of now, only in Kenya along the border of Somalia. It was first described by the big game hunter and zoologist H.C.V. Hunter in 1888. It is the only living member of the genus Beatragus, though other species are known from the fossil record. The global hirola population is estimated at 300–500 animals and there are none in captivity. According to a document produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature "the loss of the hirola would be the first extinction of a mammalian genus on mainland Africa in modern human history".
The lechwe, red lechwe, or southern lechwe is an antelope found in wetlands of south-central Africa.
The antilopines are even-toed ungulates belonging to the subfamily Antilopinae of the family Bovidae. The members of tribe Antilopini are often referred to as true antelopes, and include the gazelles, blackbucks, springboks, gerenuks, dibatags, and Central Asian gazelles. True antelopes occur in much of Africa and Asia, with the highest concentration of species occurring in East Africa in Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania. The saiga inhabits Central and Western Asia, mostly in regions from the Tibetan Plateau and north of the Indian Subcontinent. The dwarf antelope species of tribe Neotragini live entirely in sub-Saharan Africa.
The oribi is a small antelope found in eastern, southern and western Africa. The sole member of its genus, it was described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1783. While this is the only member in the genus Ourebia, eight subspecies are identified. The oribi reaches nearly 50–67 centimetres (20–26 in) at the shoulder and weighs 12–22 kilograms (26–49 lb). It possesses a slightly raised back, and long neck and limbs. The glossy, yellowish to rufous brown coat contrasts with the white chin, throat, underparts and rump. Only males possess horns; the thin, straight horns, 8–18 centimetres (3.1–7.1 in) long, are smooth at the tips and ringed at the base.
The Cape or southern grysbok is a small antelope that is endemic to the Western Cape region of South Africa between Albany and the Cederberg mountains.
The steenbok is a common small antelope of southern and eastern Africa. It is sometimes known as the steinbuck or steinbok.
Raphicerus is a genus of small antelopes of the tribe Neotragini.
The tribe Neotragini comprises the dwarf antelopes of Africa:
The Albany thickets is an ecoregion of dense woodland in southern South Africa, which is concentrated around the Albany region of the Eastern Cape.
The Milnerton Racecourse Nature Reserve is a lowland conservation area located in the City of Cape Town, South Africa.
The Diep River Fynbos Corridor is a nature reserve located in the Blaauwberg region of Cape Town, South Africa. It forms part of the larger Table Bay Nature Reserve, which was established in June 2012.
