The ‘Rabbit’ Antelope of Africa: Klipspringer
image source: edgeoftheplank.com
image source: worldisround.com
Babies!
image source: czs.org
Habitat: Africa
Status: Least Concern
Hopping around on African rocky kopjes are relatively small (reaching around 22 inches at the shoulder) antelope called Klipspringers (Oreotragus oreotragus). The word Klipspringer literally means ‘rock jumper’ in Afrikaans/Dutch and coloquially the creatures are even called mvundla, from Xhosa “umvundla”, meaning “rabbit”.
This antelope species is absolutely adorable with its huge eyes! I’m also quite fond of them because they also have a special characteristic that makes it unique in the animal kingdom. While all hoofed animals walk “on the tips of their toes,” Klipspringers are the only ones to touch the ground with the very tips of their vertically rising hooves. Using a human analogy here, we can say that Klipspringers are much like dancers that dance on their toe nails rather than the tips of their toes.
Take a look at the Klipspringer’s incredible posture here:
