Klipspringer

Oreotragus oreotragus - The Klipspringer

The Klipspringer ('rock jumper' in Afrikaans) is a small African antelope that lives from the Cape of Good Hope all the way up East Africa and into Ethiopia.

Did you know? 'Klipspringer' means 'Rock Jumper' in Afrikaans.

Reaching approximately 58cm at the shoulder, klipspringers are relatively small animals compared to some of their larger antelope cousins. Males have fragile horns that are usually about 20-25cm long. With a thick and dense speckled patterened coat of an almost olive shade, klipspringers blend in well with the rock outcrops on which they can usually be found.

Did you know? Klipspringers live singly or in life-long monogamous relationships.

Klipspringers are herbivores, eating rock plants. They never need to drink, since the succulents they subsist on provide them with enough water to survive.

Size

Stand 53 to 58 cm.

Habitat

Rocky locations, including mountains and gorges.

Distribution

Observe klipspringer antelope at the world-famous Kruger National Park (very close to the holiday hotspot of Hazyview in Mpumalanga), the Karoo National Park (just 500km from Cape Town), the Pakamisa Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, and the Augrabies Falls National Park, which is around 90 minutes from Upington in the Northern Cape.

Diet - Herbivores

Klipspringers are herbivores, eating rock plants. They never need to drink, since the succulents they subsist on provide them with enough water to survive.

Socialisation

Klipspringers are found most commonly in pairs, as solitary individuals or in small family groups, although slightly larger groups may congregate temporarily at feeding sites.

Reproduction

A single lamb is born at any time of year. Klipspringers breed every 16 months.

Gestation

6 months

Life Expectancy

There are no known records of life expectancy in the wild.
Klipspringer live up to 17 years in captivity.

Predators

• Baboons and large birds of prey
• Leopards
• Hyenas
• Large birds of prey