Klipspringer {Oreotragus oreotragus}

The Klipspringer ('rock jumper' in Afrikaans) is a small African antelope that lives from the Cape of Good Hope all the way up East Africa and into Ethiopia.

Reaching approximately 58cm at the shoulder, klipspringers are relatively small animals compared to some of their larger antelope cousins.

Males have fragile horns that are usually about 20-25cm long. With a thick and dense speckled patterened coat of an almost olive shade, klipspringers blend in well with the rock outcrops on which they can usually be found. Klipspringers are herbivores, eating rock plants. They never need to drink, since the succulents they subsist on provide them with enough water to survive.

Quick Facts

Name: Oreotragus oreotragus

Habitat: Rocky locations, including mountains and gorges.
Distribution: Southern and Eastern Africa.

Diet Description: Herbivores, eating rock plants.
Size: Stand 53 to 58 cm.

Socialisation: Found most commonly in pairs, as solitary individuals or in small family groups, although slightly larger groups may congregate temporarily at feeding sites.

Reproduction: Gestation is 6 months. A single lamb is born at any time of year.

Predators: Leopards, hyaenas, baboons and large birds of prey.