On Guard

Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus).

Dimensions in cm: 23 x 7,5 x 16

Edition: Unlimited

Klipspringer are rock-climbing antelope, resident in mountains of eastern and southern Africa.

Adaptations for its specialized niche include a stocky build with massive hindquarters, a short neck, a vestigial tail, a dense undercoat with brittle, air-filled guard hairs, and the ability to stand on tiptoes of its truncated hoofs. Its colouring—shades of grizzled tan, gray, and brown, which vary with location—conceals the klipspringer from predators; it has no contrasting markings except its large, rounded ears, which are white inside and have black margins.

Horns are straight spikes 10 cm (4 inches) long and are frequently present in both sexes in East African and Ethiopian populations. Its bounding gait and sure-footedness enable the klipspringer to outrun predators on precipitous slopes and rocky terrain—even on level, jagged lava fields—making such places sanctuaries. Insulation enables it to survive climatic extremes from sea level up to 4,500 metres (14,800 feet).

Klipspringers are equally adaptable in diet; they eat a wide variety of evergreen shrubs, succulents, vines, seeds, flowers, forbs, and herbs, including green grass. If necessary, they leave their rocky sanctuaries to feed, even at times of day when they are normally inactive. The plants they eat supply all the water they need.