Klipbok
The klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus) is a small, sturdy antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. It was first described by German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1783. A gregarious animal, the klipspringer forms lifelong pair bonds and mates stay as close as within 5 m (16 ft) of each other at most times.
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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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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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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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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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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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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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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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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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Altitudinal MigrantAltitudinal migration is a short-distance animal migration from lower altitudes to higher altitudes and back. Altitudinal migrants change their ele...
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starts withThe klipspringer has a brown forehead, short ears marked with black, prominent preorbital glands near the eyes, and white lips and chin. The horns, short and spiky, present only on males and typically measure 7.5-9 cm (3-3.5 in). The coat of the klipspringer, yellowish gray to reddish brown, acts as an efficient camouflage in its rocky habitat; the underbelly is white. Unlike most other antelopes, the klipspringer has a thick and coarse coat with hollow, brittle hairs. The incisors might even get damaged by the hairs while grooming. However, the coat is a significant adaptation that saves the animal during steep falls and provides effective insulation in the extreme climates characteristic of its mountain habitat. Another feature unique to the klipspringer is its gait; it walks on the tips of its cylindrical, blunt hooves. This enhances the grip on the ground, enabling the animal to deftly climb and jump over rocky surfaces.
Klipspringers are found across eastern and southern Africa; their range extends from northeastern Sudan, Eritrea, northern Somalia, and Ethiopia in the east to South Africa in the south, and along coastal Angola and Namibia. Smaller populations occur in the northern and western highlands of Central African Republic, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Jos Plateau, and east of Gashaka Gumti National Park in Nigeria. Klipspringers live in places with rocky terrain and sparse vegetation and migrate to lowlands at times of food scarcity.
Klipspringers are active mainly at night and tend to be more active on moonlit nights. In the morning they bask in warm sunlight and during midday and at late night they rest. Klipspringers are gregarious animals. Males form territories, in which they stay with their partners and offspring. Partners tend to stay as close as within 5 m (16 ft) of each other at most times; for instance, they take turns keeping a lookout for predators while the other feeds and face any danger together. Each territory is marked with large dung heaps, nearly 1 m (3 ft 3 in) across and 10 cm (4 in) deep, at the borders of territories. Territories can also be marked with the secretion of a thick, black substance from the preorbital glands onto vegetation and rocks in the territories. Other social groups include small family herds of 8 or more members or solitary individuals. Klipspringers communicate with each other using shrill whistles, given out by the pair in a duet; these whistles may also be used to warn about potential predators.
Klipspringers are herbivores (folivores, frugivores) and prefer to eat young plants, fruits, and flowers. Grasses are eaten mainly in the wet season.
Klipspringers are strictly monogamous and mate for life. Their mating season varies geographically. Females give birth to a single calf, weighing slightly more than 1 kg (2 lb) after the gestation period that lasts around 6 months. Births usually peak from spring to early summer. The calf is born in dense vegetation and remains carefully hidden for up to 3 months where it is protected from the view of predators; the mother suckles it 3 to 4 times a day and the visits gradually lengthen as the offspring grows. Males are protective of their offspring, keeping a watch for other males and predators. The calf is weaned at 4 to 5 months of age and leaves its mother when it turns a year old. Young females become reproductively mature by the time they are one year old; males take slightly longer to mature.
Klipspringers do not face major threats at present, as their habitat is inaccessible and unfavorable for hunting. Moreover, these antelopes do not have to compete with livestock, that do not frequent montane areas. However, populations of the klipspringer that occur at lower altitudes are more vulnerable to elimination as they are hunted for their meat, leather, and hair.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total klipspringer population size is around 42,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...