Klipspringer

Oreotragus oreotragus

Body Length: 2.5–3'
Height:2'
Weight:24–40 lbs.; females are slightly larger than males
Geographic Distribution:Cape of Angola, East Africa , Ethiopia, east Sudan, Namibia, and South Africa
Habitat:Arid, well-drained, rocky outcroppings, gorges, and mountains up to 13,000 feet
Wild Diet:Fruit and flowers make up 67% of their diet; leaves make up the remainder
Zoo Diet:Alfalfa hay, grain, carrots and apples
Status in the Wild:Least Concern
Location:Habitat Africa! The Kopje

Females klipspringers are slightly larger than males. In South Africa only the males have horns; in east Africa both sexes do. Their fur is yellow-olive, speckled with gray. They have round ears with black outer edges. Horns are ringed near the base, short, and nearly vertical. They have a thick coat of lightweight, fairly long, coarse, hollow hair. Their legs have a black ring above the hooves. Their hooves have a rubbery center and a hard outer ring. They have large pre-orbital (in front of the eye) glands that produce black, tar-like secretions. They have a stocky body with short, large, powerful hindquarters that allow them to bound from rock to rock. Their hooves are unique in that the last joint of the digit is rotated so that they walk on the tip of their hooves.
• Klipspringer horns can grow to six inches long.
• The diameter of each hoof is about the size of a dime.
• "Klip" is Dutch for rock; a klipspringer is a "rock hopper."
• Males and females hum during the breeding season.
• The klipspringer is monotypic (the only member of its genus)

 

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