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Book your LIONSROCK accommodation here.
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Blesbok
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Scientific name:
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Damaliscus dorcas phillipsi
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Average shoulder height:
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95 cm
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Weight:
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Males: 70 kg
Females: 61 kg
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Gestation period:
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246 days
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Life expectancy:
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13 years
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Appearance
Reddish brown on the upper parts with an indistinct paler saddle. Dark brown on the outer surfaces of the legs. Both sexes have horns, strongly ridged except at the tips, straw colored on the ridges (uniformly black in bontebok), the males’ thicker than the females’. Females have one pair of mammae between the hind legs.
Behavior
Most active in the early morning and late afternoon. Rests in shade during the midday heat; shelters in thickets on winter nights. In very hot weather it may stand facing the sun, head down. Drinks at least once a day.
Social organization changes seasonally. During the mating season harem herds of 2-25 adult females are by mature rams onto territories of 1-4 ha (Gauteng), or 5-10 ha (KwaZulu-Natal). Males without territories from large bachelor herds. In winter, rams leave their territories and herds of up to a few hundred form, containing both sexes and all ages. Rams start to re-establish territories in October.
Reproduction
Breeds in response to short length. Mating March-May; gestation 246 days. Peak in birth November-December, continuing into January. Birth weight 6-7 kg; wean at 4 months. Black-backed jackals take newborn calves. Females are sexually mature at 2-3 years. Lifespan 13 years. Populations can grow at 20% per year.
Diet
A grazer, but will take some browse. Prefers short grass, especially growth flushed by fire. Selects for species in older grass, and for growth stage in short grass. Preferences changes seasonally.
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Bank account name:
LIONSROCK PARK
Bank and Code:
First National Bank - South Africa FNB-230133
Account No: 62165825583
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