Klipspringer

Description:

This male was spotted by PN-member Pamsai and we both hurried to take a few photos. The Klipspringer is a small antelope reaching approximately 58 cm (22 inches) at the shoulder. They stand on the tips of their hooves and can fit all four hooves on a piece roughly 30 mm in diameter. Male klipspringer horns are usually about 10–15 cm (4–6 inches) long.

Habitat:

Rocky area next to a river. (Kruger national park, South Africa)

Notes:

The klipspringer stands on the flat tips of its truncated hooves, walking and running in a jerky, stilted manner. It bounds up and down steep slopes and jumps from rock to rock, landing with all four feet together. The animal usually spends its adult lifetime within the same range or territory, venturing out, usually in pairs, only to seek new plant growth or salt licks. When foraging, the animals keep very alert to predators and to alarm calls of other animals. If danger threatens, the female usually leads the get-away flight and, once safe, the pair gives whistling alarm calls in duet.