Oreotragus oreotragus — Details

Klipspringer learn more about names for this taxon

Overview

Brief Summary

Biology

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Klipspringers are monogamous animals that are nearly always seen in pairs, usually with one offspring. The bond between a male and female is strong and enduring; they spend most of their time within a few metres of each other with one being look-out while the other feeds, and this relationship usually lasts until one dies (3). Together the pair defends a territory in which they feed on herbs and low foliage, sometimes seeds, fruits, buds, twigs and bark, and grasses in the wet season (2) (3). Occasionally groups of eight or more klipspringers may be seen, but these quickly split back into family groups when disturbed (3). Like many animals that live in Africa's hot climate, klipspringers generally rest during the heat of the day, and are also generally inactive after midnight (2). The gestation period of the klipspringer is 210 days (4), after which a well-developed young is born. The young hides in vegetation for up to three months, while its mother visits three or four times a day for suckling (2).
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Comprehensive Description

Description

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This fascinating small antelope has a number of distinct features that make it well adapted to its rugged, rocky habitat (3). It is unique amongst the antelope for walking on the tips of its hooves and it has a remarkable dense, coarse coat consisting of hollow hairs that rustle when shaken or touched (2) (3). When the klipspringer is hot or sick its fur stands erect, giving the illusion of being much larger than it actually is (2). The coat varies in colour from yellow-brown to grey-yellow, with whitish underparts, chin and lips (4). In most areas only the males have horns, which are short, widely-spaced apart and ringed near the base; in the Ethiopian, Ugandan and Tanzanian populations some females may have horns too (4) (pers). The black-edged ears have white parts that catch attention when flicked (2). Numerous subspecies of the klipspringer have been described, but only one is recognised as valid for the purpose of assessing its conservation status: the western klipspringer (6).
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Distribution

Range Description

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The Klipspringer has a wide distribution from north-eastern Sudan, Eritrea, northern Somalia and the Ethiopian Highlands southwards through East and southern Africa to South Africa, and along the west coast in Namibia and south-western Angola. Isolated populations occur in the Central African Republic (two separate areas in the northern and western uplands) and south-eastern DR Congo (East 1999; Roberts in press). In Nigeria, they occur in and around the Jos Plateau (East 1999), and also in the east in the Gashaka-Gumpti N. P. (Nicholas 2004). The only country in which they formerly occurred, but are now probably extinct, is Burundi.
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Geographic Range

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The klipspringer occurs in isolated populations from Ethiopia to the tip of South Africa.

Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )

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Range

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Occurs from north-east to southern Africa, with a few isolated populations in central Africa. The western klipspringer is found in Nigeria and the Central African Republic (6)
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Physical Description

Morphology

Physical Description

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Klipspringers are small, stocky bovids. The males have wide-set, spike-like horns averaging 10cm long. Males and females have preorbital glands, males have preputial glands, and neither sex has hoof glands. The coat is thick and dense; the individual hairs are loosely connected to the skin and are hollow. This hair type is unique among bovids and otherwise found only in pronghorns and the white tailed deer. Females are slightly larger than males (Female height: 50-53cm; Male height: 49-52cm).

Range mass: 8.9 to 18 kg.

Average mass: 11 kg.

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Ecology

Habitat

Habitat and Ecology

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Habitat and Ecology
Klipspringers are dependent on rocky and mountainous terrain, occurring up to 4,380 m in the Ethiopian Highlands (Yalden et al. 1996). The Rift Valleys and the Southern African escarpments provide extensive suitable habitat and are central to its distribution. Klipspringers are primarily browsers.

Systems
  • Terrestrial
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Habitat

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Klipspringers live in steep, rocky terrain and are most common in mountain ranges and gorges of major rivers. They are abundant in suitable habitat (as many as 45 animals per square kilometer), but they are patchily distributed among outcroppings of rock.

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; chaparral ; forest ; scrub forest

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Habitat

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Klipspringers inhabit rocky, stony ground with abundant short vegetation (2), from coastal hills up to elevations of 4,500 metres (4).
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Trophic Strategy

Food Habits

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Klipspringers are selective browsers. They prefer lush evergreen shrubs and herbs but will eat fruit, seed pods, flowers and lichens. They will leave their home ranges to forage on new grass shoots. They drink when water is available but they generally get water from their food.

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Life History and Behavior

Life Expectancy

Lifespan/Longevity

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Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 12.1 years.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 15.0 years.

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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

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Maximum longevity: 25.9 years (captivity) Observations: One specimen lived 25.9 years at Frankfurt Zoo (Richard Weigl 2005).
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Reproduction

Reproduction

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Reproduction varies with geography. Breeding is seasonal in Ethiopia, perennial in Zambia, and varies locally in Cape Province. Females give birth to one young after a seven month gestation period. Young are born in a protected rocky recess and remain hidden for 2-3 months. Young join the parents after 2-3 months and are weaned after 4-5 months. Horns begin to develop at 6 months and are fully grown at 17-18 months. Young reach adult size after one year.

Range number of offspring: 1 (low) .

Average number of offspring: 1.

Range gestation period: 7 to 7.5 months.

Range weaning age: 4 to 5 months.

Average birth mass: 1130 g.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)

Sex: male: 365 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)

Sex: female: 365 days.

Parental Investment: altricial

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Conservation

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List Assessment

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Red List Category
LC
Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version
3.1

Year Assessed
2008

Assessor/s
IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group

Reviewer/s
Mallon, D.P. (Antelope Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment)

Justification
Listed as Least Concern as the total population has been estimated at more than 40,000, 25% of which were in protected areas. Populations in many protected areas and on private land were considered stable, and substantial numbers occurred in unprotected but inaccessible habitat. This species’ conservation status should not change and its future should be secure as long as it continues to receive active protection in national parks and equivalent reserves, hunting concessions and private farmland. It should also continue to survive in substantial numbers in extensive, inaccessible areas of unprotected habitat.

History
  • 1996
    Lower Risk/conservation dependent
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Conservation Status

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Because they are patchily distributed in isolated populations, klipspringers have differentiated into distinct populations, several of which are threatened. The most severely threatened population is the Nigerian subspecies O. o. porteousi. Other populations, especilly those in Ethiopia, are thriving.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: no special status

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Status

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Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1). Subspecies: Oreotragus oreotragus porteousi (western klipspringer) is classified as Endangered (EN) (1).
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Population

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Population
The Klipspringer can reach relatively high population densities within continuous areas of favourable habitat, e.g., 10.0-14.0/km² in a 9.6 km² area of escarpment, ridge top and gorge in Simien Mountains National Park (Ethiopia). More typically, the Klipspringer’s habitat is discontinuous within a given area and its abundance is closely related to the extent of suitable rocky terrain. Its overall population density is frequently in the range 0.01-0.1/km² in protected areas within which it is common in restricted areas of suitable habitat. Higher densities occur in areas with more extensive Klipspringer habitat, e.g., 0.15-0.30/km² in Lengwe (Malawi) and Karoo, Mountain Zebra and Royal Natal National Parks and Giant’s Castle Game Reserve (South Africa) (various authors in East 1999).

East (1999) produced a total population estimate of about 42,000 animals, which is probably conservative. Population trend is stable in many protected areas and on private land, but tending to decrease in areas where small, isolated populations are subjected to uncontrolled hunting and competition with livestock. The numbers of the western klipspringer are unknown but are unlikely to exceed a few thousand at most, in view of its very restricted distribution. This subspecies’ population is probably decreasing, at least in Nigeria.

Population Trend
Stable
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Threats

Threats

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Major Threats
There are no obvious major threats to Klipspringers across their range. Their habitat is of little value to humans and it persists outside protected areas in regions where subsistence hunting pressure is not intense. The Klipspringer’s adaptation to the inaccessible hillsides and cliffs in these areas enables it to avoid most competition from domestic herds. Small, isolated populations within relatively small areas of rocky habitat are more vulnerable to hunting and competition from goats, and many of these populations have been eliminated in settled regions.
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Threats

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Klipspringers are vulnerable to both hunting and competition from goats. These threats have resulted in populations in some areas being eliminated and others, particularly in agricultural regions, becoming rare (2) (6). Consequently, the western klipspringer in Nigeria and the Central African Republic has been classified as Endangered by the IUCN (1) (6).
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Management

Conservation Actions

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Conservation Actions
About one-quarter of the population occurs in protected areas, including: Simien and Bale Mountains (Ethiopia), Tsavo (Kenya), North and South Luangwa (Zambia), Nyika (Malawi), Namib-Naukluft (Namibia) and Matobo (Zimbabwe). It occurs in lesser numbers in a large number of other protected areas throughout its range which contain smaller areas of suitable habitat. Very large numbers survive on private farmland in Namibia.
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Conservation

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The klipspringer has been classified as Lower Risk / Conservation Dependent because its future depends on its continued protection in many National Parks, reserves, hunting concessions and private farmland (1) (6), such as Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, a World Heritage Site (7). Large populations in very inaccessible areas are also believed to be fairly secure. However, the western klipspringer subspecies is at risk of extinction if no attempts are made to implement protective measures or begin a captive breeding programme (6), and so conservation measures are urgently required to save this distinctive and fascinating antelope.
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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems

Benefits

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

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Klipspringers may be a host to the tse-tse fly, which can carry African sleeping sickness.

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Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

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These agile, charming animals serve to attract tourists and hunters.

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Wikipedia

Klipspringer

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The klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus), is a small species of African antelope.

Contents

Name

The word "klipspringer" literally means "rock jumper" in Afrikaans/Dutch. The klipspringer is also known colloquially as a mvundla (from Xhosa "umvundla", meaning "rabbit").

Distribution and Habitat

The klipspringer lives from the Cape of Good Hope, where it is found in mountain fynbos, through the rest of Southern Africa, where it is found in rocky koppies in woodland and savanna, all the way up East Africa and into the highly mountainous highlands of Ethiopia.

Description

A pair of Klipspringers

Reaching approximately 58 cm (22 inches) at the shoulder, klipspringers are relatively small animals compared to some of their larger antelope cousins. They stand on the tips of their hooves and can fit all four hooves on a piece of cliff the size of a Canadian dollar coin. Male klipspringers have horns that are usually about 10–15 cm (4–6 inches) long. Female klipspringers in Eastern African populations also have horns.

With a thick and dense speckled "salt and pepper" patterned coat of an almost olive shade, klipspringers blend in well with the koppie (rock outcrops, pronounced "koh-pee/copy") on which they can usually be found.

Predators

It is preyed upon by leopards, caracals, eagles and humans.

Diet

Klipspringers are herbivores, eating plants that grow in mountainous habitats and rocky terrain. They never need to drink, since the succulents they subsist on provide them with enough water to survive.

Behaviour

Klipspringers do not live in herds but rather in breeding pairs. Klipspringers mate for life and a mated pair will spend most of their lives in close proximity to one another. When one klipspringer is eating the other will assume lookout duty, helping to keep the pair aware of any predators.

The mating season for klipspringers is from September through January. The gestation period is about 214 days.

Klipspringer (male)
Female at San Diego Zoo, California, USA

References


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