The Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis)

Deon Furstenburg
Aug 20
3 min read

The springbok is one of southern Africa’s most iconic antelope and has long served as a national sports emblem for South Africa. Endemic to countries south of the Zambezi, the single species Antidorcas marsupialis occurs in three phenotypes (the common or southern springbok, the Kalahari springbok, and the Angolan springbok). Although similar in appearance to East African gazelles (Gazelles Gazella sp’s), the springbok is a distinct species.

Built to Perform

Springbok are lightweight and athletic, thriving in wide, arid landscapes. Their scientific name highlights a unique feature: A tuft or pouch of long hair on the lower back, which they raise when excited. This excitement, often triggered by rainfall or courtship, sets off their iconic display of pronking: soaring vertical leaps with stiff legs and an arched back, as though bouncing on an invisible trampoline.

Size comparison of a male springbok ram to a female ewe to a human.

Not true gazelles, the marsupium

The species name marsupialis refers to a distinctive flap of long hair along the lower back, often called the marsupium. This is not a marsupial pouch like those of kangaroos, but an opening flap of fur and skin that hides vivid white hair and an important scent gland. During displays of alarm or courtship, a springbok becomes excited. The flap is raised to reveal the white patch and release scent signals. This unique feature helps distinguish springbok from true gazelles and plays a key role in communication and mating displays.

Famous for pronking

Springbok are famous pronkers: they can spring vertically more than two metres from a standing start, stiff-legged with the back arched. Pronking (from the Afrikaans pronken, "to show off") is a dramatic display used in several contexts, to advertise fitness to potential mates, to warn or confuse predators, or to signal to the herd that all is well. Those popcorn-like leaps are equal parts athletic display and social signalling, a behavior that makes the springbok instantly recognisable on the plains.

Two Ways of Living: Residents and Trekkers

Springbok behaviour ranges from sedentary, farm-resident herds to true migratory "trek bokke" that travel hundreds of kilometres. History records legendary mass treks, sometimes involving millions of animals, that swept from the Kalahari toward the Cape, the Free State, and the Springbok Flats in Limpopo. Today, fencing and changes in land use have fragmented those routes. Migratory individuals negotiate fences by jumping or crawling through gaps, which illustrates the importance of landscape connectivity.

Clever Physiology for a Harsh Climate

A striking dark brown flank band against a white belly and lighter upperparts provides the springbok its sporty look and serves a practical purpose. That dark patch contains a superficial network of blood vessels that assists thermoregulation, allowing springbok to exchange heat with the air and survive wide daily temperature swings. Adapted to desert life, they commonly lick dew from grass and stones for moisture and can persist in areas with little or no free water.

Reproduction, Diet and Survival Strategies

SSpringbok can quickly switch between grazing on grass and browsing on shrub foliage, depending on the conditions. RRemarkably, female springbok can sense impending severe drought and may terminate pregnancies of up to about four months as an adaptive response to the poor future survival prospects for their offspring. SThis behavior is one of several life-history strategies that help the springbok species endure highly variable climates.

Why Springbok Matter

BBeyond their cultural significance and role in sports, springbok are a crucial ecological component of southern African savannahs and semi-desert systems. TThey shape the structure of vegetation and serve as prey for native predators. IIt is important to keep pathways open for migrating springbok and to protect a variety of good grazing and browsing areas to help both local springbok populations and traveling groups survive.

Additional important info available at:

Furstenburg, D. 2016. Springbok Antidorcas marsupialis Management. In: Eds. Pamela Oberem, The New Game Rancher. BRIZA Publisher, Pretoria. p 226-234. ISBN 978-1-920217-62-4 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312232160_Springbok_Antidorcas_marsupialis