Bontebok/Blesbok

About the Bontebok/Blesbok

The bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus) is an antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. D. pygargus has two subspecies; the nominate subspecies (D. p. pygargus), occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of the Western Cape, and the blesbok (D. p. phillipsi) occurring in the Highveld.

The bontebok is related to the common tsessebe. The bontebok is a tall, medium-sized antelope. They typically stand 0.8 to 1 m (2.6 to 3.3 ft) high at the shoulder and measure 1.2 to 1.6 m (3.9 to 5.2 ft) along the head and body. The tail can range from 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in). Body mass can vary from 50 to 68 kg (110 to 150 lb). Males are slightly larger and noticeably heavier than females. The bontebok is a chocolate brown colour, with a white underside and a white stripe from the forehead to the tip of the nose, although there is a brown stripe across the white near the eyes in most blesbok. The bontebok also has a distinctive white patch around its tail (hence the Latin name), while this patch is light brown/tan in the blesbok. The horns of the bontebok are lyre-shaped and clearly ringed. They are found in both sexes and can reach a length of half a metre... Wikipedia →