A pair of Klipspringers, Oreotragus oreotragus, appearing to kiss each other, on a sandstone koppie. Kruger NP, South Africa. A suitable image to post on Valentine’s Day.
Klipspringer comes from two Afrikaans words, klip, rock and springer, leaper or jumper. Their preferred habitat is bare rocks with little vegetation, so there is often a pair on Koppies/kopjes in their range.
Klipspringers are tiny antelopes, from 43-60cm at the shoulder. They stand on (and run & jump from) their ‘tiptoes’. Their hooves are tiny but cloven. This helps with grip on rocks and enables them to land on tiny areas. Their hair, unusually is hollow, which helps insulate them on cold nights and also can protect them if they happen to fall while leaping (though they are very sure-footed.
The male (only) has sharp horns. Both sexes have a preorbital gland, which produces a tarry substance which they use to mark their territory.
Unlike many other antelopes, they pair for life, or at least for a long-term. They have one calf at a time, which is carefully hidden in a crevice for the first three months of its life to hide it from predators.
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