Grey rhebuck, Vaal rhebok, Vaalribbok
The grey rhebok or grey rhebuck (Pelea capreolus ), locally known as the reebok in Afrikaans, is a species of antelope native to South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini (Swaziland). The specific name capreolus is Latin for 'little goat', it is the only known member of the subfamily Peleinae or tribe Peleini.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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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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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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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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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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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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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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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...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
A territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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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 Grey rhebok is a species of antelope native to Southern Africa. These are medium-sized animals with a long neck and narrow ears. Their coat is colored in various shades of grey; it is short and dense and protects rheboks from the cold in the mountains. Only the males carry horns, which are straight, sharp and ringed at the base.
Grey rheboks live in South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. They inhabit grassy, montane habitats such as mountain slopes, rocky hills and plateau grasslands. They can also be found at the Cape’s coast.
Grey rheboks are social and territorial animals. They usually aggregate in herds of 1 to 15 females with their young and one mature male. Grey rheboks maintain their territory by urinating and defecating, standing or walking in an upright posture, and patrolling. Females and their young usually stay within one male’s territory. These animals are active during the day and usually, rest at midday when it gets hot. They have a very acute sense of smell and sight. They are also good jumpers and run with an interesting horse-like gait when their fore and hind legs are kicked out stiffly with each leap. Grey rheboks communicate with the help of hisses and groans. When threatened they snort, stamp and run if needed. During an attack, males sometimes start the fight in order to protect their herd.
Grey rheboks are herbivores (folivores) and feed mainly on forbs and shrubs. They also consume grasses, flowers, seeds, and roots. Rheboks can stay a long time without water as they get most of their water from the food they eat.
Grey rheboks are polygynous. Males become very aggressive during the breeding season and defend their groups of females from other intruding males. These animals breed between January and April. Females are pregnant for about seven months and give birth to a single calf in late spring and summer. A few days before to give birth females leave the herds. After the birth, the calf stays hidden for about six weeks and mother frequently comes back to feed her young. Males attain maturity when they are 18-21 months old; they leave their group and try to establish their own territory.
The main threats to Grey rheboks include increased levels of bushmeat and illegal sport hunting with dogs. Natural predators such as Black-backed jackal, caracals, and leopards pose another big threat to these animals. Climate change and human encroachment into the natural habitat may also be a reason for the decline in the Grey rhebok population.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Grey rheboks is 18,000 individuals. Around 2,000 individuals occur in protected areas. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...