SPRINGBOK

Springbok in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, Northern Cape province, S.Af. also called Springbuck (Antidorcas marsupialis), a species of graceful, strikingly marked, gazellelike antelope of the family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). The springbok is native to the open, treeless plains of southern Africa. It once roamed in enormous herds but is now, however, much reduced in numbers. It is the national and sporting emblem of South Africa. Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) The springbok stands about 80 cm (32 inches) at the shoulder and is characterized by a fold of skin that runs from midback to rump that can be opened in times of excitement to display a crest of white hair. Its coat is reddish brown with a broad, horizontal dark brown band on each side and with white underparts, head, tail, and rump. Both sexes have ringed, lyre-shaped horns. When alarmed or excited, the springbok characteristically makes a series of stiff-legged, vertical leaps up to 3.5 m (11.5 feet) high. This action, known as pronking, is performed with the head down, the hooves bunched, and the back arched.