Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) or Springing Goat..
This antelope has a special meaning to most South Africans.. it used to be the emblem worn by all our sportsmen and women…
An antelope that can reach speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph), leap 4 m (13 feet) into the air and jump a distance of up to 15 m (50 feet) has to be what our sports people are all about..
It stands about 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) high. Springbok males weigh between 32 and 48 kg (71 and 110 lb.) and the females between 25 and 35 kg (55 and 77 lb.). Not that big an antelope..
When the male springbok is showing off his strength or to attract a female, or maybe to ward off predators, he starts off in a stiff-legged trot, jumping up into the air with an arched back every few paces and lifting the flap along his back. Lifting the flap causes the long white hairs under the tail to stand up in a fan shape, which in turn emits a strong scent of sweat. This ritual is known as stotting or pronking from Afrikaans meaning to boast or show off.
Rams are slightly larger than ewes, and have thicker horns; the ewes tend to have skinnier legs and longer, more frail horns.
When feeding the ewes will sometimes leave the young in a crèche.. It was while shooting one such crèche, that I noticed how long the ears are of a springbok really are.. once the horns grow it seems to be less obvious… shame, talk about “Big ears” and “Noddy”, he had nothing on these little buck…
The Photographic Journey of bulldog. 
This animal expresses the Olympic spirit “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.” I bet few predators manage to catch these animals.
Love them. That last shot is great. Looks like he’s laughing.
Thank you …
Hey these would fit right in at my place… we love long ears!
Glad you enjoyed…
Lovely creatures you captured!
Thank you..
Springboks are such wonderful animals, and that emblem was so fitting for our sportsmen and women. It was such a great pity that it was done away with. 😦 Lovely photos again. Happy weekend to you and yours.
Thanks so much… it was a sad day when it went… thanks and the same to you and yours…
The ears are so unusual.They are a very graceful looking animal, too. I’ve only seen them in zoos, and never in a very large creche. That was new information to me–calling their grouping a creche. You captured some wonderful photos, Rob!
Thank you so much… the one herd we came upon contained a few hundred adults.. they were lying in the shade both sides of the creche with the youngsters.. almost as a protecting block both sides… yet all the young were together… beautiful to see…
These are all great photographs and posts dear Rob, I loved them. Thank you, love, nia
Thanks Nia..
Awe…they are so cute!
Aren’t they??
Oh my ~ amazing captures bd! Those ears are just incredible… and the face so adorable and sweet! x ps: thank you so much for more detail on lemon juice – will work on it this weekend 🙂
Thanks Robyn… Big Ears ..now I must find Noddy… luck on the lemon…
Simply beautiful photos. As always. 🙂
Thank you George..
Brilliant shots! Those ears are amazing! 😉
Thanks Dianne…
Bob … what can I say here … photos are so good – that last photo … what a gallery. They are so beautiful, never thought about how long their ears really are ….
Thanks Viveka.. glad you enjoyed..
They are so beautiful!!! Great shots!!!
Thank you Rexlin..
I love those ears 😀
Thank you.. long and lean..
Just look at the size of those ears!! Such beautiful animals, and I’d love to see them doing their “jump” sometime.
Try and find one presentable enough…
awww – too cute – big ears n all!
Thank you..
It certainly struck me how big the ears are! Maybe they can jump so high because they use them for lift! 🙂
Now why didn’t I think of that..??
My, what big ears they have. Love the Springbok as well as most others.
Thanks Spook… never realised just how big their ears where…
LOL … the second pic with your capture created a good laugh and smile.
Thanks Frank… but damn they are long…
They are so beautiful. Bulldog. Love your pics.
thank you..
They are beautiful. I’ll have to check my Botswana photos and see if we saw any. There are a few animals I haven’t identified yet.
If you were in Botswana you must have seen them… the central Kalahari portion is known for huge herds…thanks for the visit… having trouble with an ID.. I can help…
Thanks. I’ll remember that!
They are so beautiful.
Thank you Julie…
Awwww..they are so adorable and those long ears are so cute! These are gorgeous photo’s bulldog. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thank you Sonel… never before have I looked at the length of the ears… the horns seem to disguise them… but the youngster certain show them…
Beautiful pictures and the information was great. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Charlie…
Quite the set of chompers on that little guy in the last picture.
I agree… these I think were nearing weaning time.. otherwise I feel for the mother…
LOL 😉
What a sweet face – I knew that the emblem was on athletic jerseys – had no idea what the animal symbolized. Great set, sir.
Thank you.. yes it graced the breast of all sportsmen in the past…
gorgeous photos as always!
Thank you… an antelope when worn on a rugby jersey.. used to frighten the life out of opponents…
nice photos of the crèche. They are lovely
Thank you…
ha! I’m glad human males don’t prance around and prove how much they sweat! Or do they…?
Not all of us … just the sportsmen…
They are such beautiful animals. When I was watching the “Africa” series, I was very entertained by watching the springbok jump around. They are amazing.
Maralee it is something to see not easy to capture on camera.. as they seem to know you’re pointing at them and stop or change direction when you least expect…
Those ears are something. That last photo is too cute!
Big ears ..I never realised they were so big…
They’re just gorgeous – and when they jump (which I’ve only seen on tv of course) it’s amazing!! poetry…
It is something to see in reality.. but not the easiest thing to capture with a camera…
I don’t think I will ever get there Bulldog…but will enjoy from this distance 🙂
Did you know that the part of the skin that pronks smells like honey, whenever we hunted them we would almost always open the pronk to smell it