Cape Grysbok
Name
Cape or Southern Grysbok [
Raphicerus melanotis]
Appearance
The Cape Grysbok is a small, shy antelope with a thick-set body and a coarse coat of hair. A mingling of white and reddish hair on the back and sides gives this species a grizzled, reddish appearance. Only males have horns which are 60-80 mm in length, with a slight forward curve, standing vertical on the head. The Cape Grysbok stands 540 mm at the shoulder and adults weigh 10 kg.
Diet
This is predominantly a browser, and not dependant of free water. Occasionally grazes succulent grass and eats fruit when available.
Breeding
Single lambs are born any time of the year, although lambing tends to peak during spring. Gestation period is seven months. Under ideal conditions females can give birth to two lambs per year. Adults are lighter in colour than newborns. This species is sexually mature between 18-24 months.
Behaviour
The Cape Grysbok is usually solitary, lying up during the heat of day and grazing and browsing at night.
Where they are found
The Cape Grysbok habituates the southern mountain valleys and scrub-covered flats of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa. It is endemic to the Fynbos Biome. The Sharpe's Grysbok is similar in appearance and habit, but found in the Lebombo mountain range of north-eastern Mpumalanga and further north.
