Page 107 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

FIELD GUIDE  105

Reedbuck Oribi Steenbok
Species: Redunca spp. • Best Seen: Species: Ourebia ourebi • Best Species: Raphicerus campestris • Best
iSimangaliso, Kruger, uKhahlamba- Seen: uKhahlamba-Drakensberg, Seen: Kruger, Pilanesberg, Hluhluwe-
Drakensberg Kwazulu-Natal (Midlands) Imfolizi
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Two species of reedbuck occur A patchily distributed small- Somewhat resembling a
in South Africa – the common to-medium-sized antelope, scaled-down version of the
and the mountain. Both are the oribi has a shoulder height oribi, the steenbok is a small
pale, skittish and lightly built of around 50 cm (20 inches) antelope with tan upperparts,
grassland-dwellers with white and small, straight unisex white underbelly and short
underbellies and small horns. horns. It has a sandy coat with straight horns. However, it
The common reedbuck, a a white belly and can be tends to prefer thicker
lowland and mid-altitude recognized by the round vegetation than the oribi, and
species with short, forward- black glandular patch below its smaller size means it is more
curving horns, is exceptionally its ears. Typically seen in pairs likely to be mistaken for a
common in iSimangaliso, along or small herds in tall open duiker. The name steenbok is
the road to Cape Vidal. The grass, the oribi tends to draw Afrikaans for stone buck, and
chunkier and greyer mountain attention to itself with a refers not to the animal’s
reedbuck is commonest in trademark sneezing alarm habitat, but to its habit of
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg. call before rapidly fleeing. “freezing” when disturbed.

Cape Grysbok Sharpe’s Grysbok Grey Rhebok
Species: Raphicerus malanotus Species: Raphicerus sharpei • Best Species: Pelea capreolus • Best
• Best Seen: Table Mountain, Seen: Kruger (Central and Northern Seen: uKhahlamba-Drakensberg,
De Hoop, Cedarberg Mountains Regions), Mapungubwe Mountain Zebra, Bontebok
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Endemic to fynbos and other The core range of Sharpe’s This South African endemic
thicket habitats in the Western grysbok, the tropical counter- is superficially similar to the
and Eastern Cape, the Cape part to the Cape grysbok, lies mountain reedbuck, but
grysbok can be distinguished north of the Limpopo, but it is has a woollier grey coat, a
from other small antelope in sparsely distributed in suitable longer neck and snout, and
its geographic range by its habitats – thickets and rocky distinc tive elongated hare-like
larger size, chunky build, slopes – in parts of the Kruger ears. Because it has several
tailless appearance and the National Park. The reddish, goat-like adaptations, it is
combination of a flecked white-flecked coat and unusual some thing of a taxonomic
russet coat and white circles grazing posture, with white enigma. Around 20 per cent
around the eyes. Despite rump tilted skywards, preclude of the global population
being somewhat localized, it confusion with other antelope lives in the uKhahlamba-
remains reasonably common in its range. Very timid, it some- Drakensberg, and it is
in suitable habitats in the times retreats into aardvark commonly depicted in that
Western and Eastern Cape. burrows when threatened. park’s ancient rock art.
Key to Field Guide icons see p72

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