Reproduction

How does the springbok produce its young?

Breeding takes place during the dry season. During this time male only herds will move around with a view to finding a female to mate with.

After a 5 month gestation period the female will give birth to a single young known as a lamb. This birth takes place in a secluded area away from the herd. The female leaves her calf here while she goes to graze.

Young are weaned by four months old.

Females often remain with their herd while males leave and join a bachelor herd. They will need to gain control of a territory and hold this to gain breeding rights. Males will use their horns in fights to gain breeding rights.

Males are not involved in caring for the young.

Sexual maturity is reached at seven months old.

Behavior

What does the springbok do with its day?

These antelopes are one of the species most commonly associated with the behavior known as pronking. This is a large leap in among their standard running. During it their legs are held stiff and straight.

It is thought that these leaps help them when evading predators. They can make it difficult for the predator to judge when to pounce on the predator.

In the past the springbok was known to move in large herds which at one point may have numbered in the millions. These days herds of more than a couple of thousand are rare.

Recently these large aggregations have only been seen in areas where food becomes scarce.

These animals can run at speeds of up to 90km/h (56mph).

Credit: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Predators and Threats

What is impacting the survival of the springbok?

Natural predators of the springbok include cheetahs and lions. Young are taken by birds of prey such as martial eagles, black-backed jackals and caracals.

These predators can outrun the springbok over short distances making their habit of pronking important to evade the threat.

Numbers of the springbok across their range are believed to be increasing. The total population is estimated to be between 1 and 1.5 million individuals.

These animals are hunted and collected to be traded live. Large numbers are collected for game ranches where they are valued for their high meat output. Some are also used as taxidermy models.

They are susceptible to the heartwater disease and as a result can not survive in woodland savanna where this disease is common.

Quick facts

Their name is taken from their leaps which look like a spring. They may also be known as the 'springbuck.'

The South African national rugby team is named after this species. They are also the national animal of South Africa.

While these animals appear similar to gazelles they are recognized in their own genus, antidorcas.

These animals were first described for science in the 1780s by a German zoologist.