Bontebok/Blesbok

The bontebok is a tall, medium-sized antelope. They typically stand 0.8 to 1 m (2.6 to 3.3 ft) high at the shoulder and measure 1.2 to 1.6 m (3.9 to 5.2 ft) along the head and body. The tail can range from 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in). Body mass can vary from 50 to 68 kg (110 to 150 lb). Males are slightly larger and noticeably heavier than females. The bontebok is a chocolate brown colour, with a white underside and a white stripe from the forehead to the tip of the nose, although there is a brown stripe across the white near the eyes in most blesbok. The bontebok also has a distinctive white patch around its tail (hence the Latin name), while this patch is light brown/tan in the blesbok. The horns of the bontebok are lyre-shaped and clearly ringed. They are found in both sexes and can reach a length of half a metre.

Blesbok live in the Highveld, where they eat short grasses, while bontebok are restricted to the coastal Fynbos and the Renosterveld. They are diurnal, though they rest during the heat of the day. Herds may contain only males, only females, or be mixed, and do not exceed 40 animals for bontebok or 70 for blesbok.

Bontebok are not good jumpers, but they are very good at crawling under obstacles. Mature males establish territories, confront other males in displays, and occasionally fight them.