Southern grysbok
The Cape grysbok (Raphicerus melanotis) is a small antelope that is native to South Africa. It has an interesting habit of fluffing out the fur at its rear end to make itself look bigger.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Cape Grysbok has a rough, reddish sandy coat flecked in white. The head, neck, and legs are less flecked and somewhat yellowish, while the inside of the ears, eye-rings, mouth area, throat, and underside are white. There is a black "bridge" to the nose and a dark scent gland in front of the eye. The tail is short and is almost invisible. Males have short, sharp, and straight horns, which are smooth.
Cape grysbok occur in the Western Cape region of South Africa between Albany and the Cederberg mountains. They live in thick shrubland and can sometimes browse in orchards and vineyards. In the Cape Peninsula, grysbok can occur in urban edges close to human activity. They may also be found in reed beds and along the riverbed of the southern Karoo.
Cape grysbok are usually seen singly and are territorial. They are primarily nocturnal, though in southern winter, they may be seen during early morning and late evening. They use a communal latrine and mark plants in their vicinity with secretions from their pre-orbital glands. When feeling threatened, grysbok defend themselves by jumping forward toward their target and then run away.
Cape grysbok are herbivores (folivores, graminivores, frugivores). They eat shoots, grasses, foliage, and fruits. They can apparently go without drinking water for long periods, gaining most of their requirements from food.
Cape grysbok can breed at any time throughout the year, however, births peak during the southern summer. The gestation period lasts about 6 months and the female gives birth to only one lamb.
Cape grysbok are not considered threatened at present. However, they suffer from the loss of their native habitat due to the expansion of agriculture and human settlements.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Cape grysbok total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
