Steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) lives in open savanna across Sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds on grass and leaves. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Steenbok
- In optimal Acacia-tortilis savannah, steenbok densities can reach four individuals per square kilometre, far above the typical 0.3-1.0 per km² elsewhere. Such concentrations show how this antelope thrives where grasses are scarce but thorny shrubs provide both food and cover, highlighting its role as a specialist of transitional habitats that many larger grazers avoid.
- Steenbok can survive without ever drinking water, extracting all needed moisture from the low-lying plants they browse, never reaching above 0.9 m. Their diet leans heavily on forbs and woody shoots like Flueggea virosa, with fruit and occasional grass taken only rarely. This water-independent feeding lets them endure the semi-desert edges of the Kalahari where surface water is absent.
- When threatened, a steenbok will freeze, then sprint away in a zig-zag pattern, often pausing to glance back and even dropping into aardvark burrows for refuge. Predators recorded include wildcats, caracals, jackals, leopards, martial eagles and rock pythons. This blend of stillness, erratic flight, and use of other species' burrows illustrates a multi-layered anti-predator toolkit for a tiny prey animal.
- Steenbok breed year-round, with a gestation of about 170 days and typically one precocial fawn that hides for two weeks before joining the mother. Females mature at 6-8 months and can give birth again within five and a half to nine months, allowing some individuals to produce two fawns a year. and a lifespan of only seven years or more.
- Steenbok stand just 45-60 cm tall at the shoulder, yet males grow horns up to 19 cm long. Their tiny 4-6 cm tail is barely visible, and they weigh only 7-16 kg.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSub-Saharan Africa
HabitatOpen savanna
DietGrass and leaves
About the Steenbok
In the sun-baked savannas, the steenbok moves with an air of quiet confidence, its large eyes ever-vigilant for the slightest hint of danger as it navigates a world of grasses and thorns. With each delicate step, its slender legs seem to barely touch the ground, as if floating across the landscape with an effortless grace that belies the harsh realities of its environment. As it pauses to nibble on a tender shoot, the steenbok's very presence seems a testament to the enduring power of adaptation in this unforgiving yet beautiful land.
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