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Characteristics: Shoulder
height 50 - 55 cm / 19,5 -22 inch, weight up to 16 kg / 35 ibs..
They look like the Steenbuck, but with rougher proportions. Like Chamois,
Klipspringer walk on their hooves which are covered with a hard rubber like
layer, an adaption to their life among rocks.
Colouring:
Their yellow-brown hair is long and brittle, serving as padding, all of
which are adaptations to their harsh rocky environment. Klipspringer are
perfectly camouflaged against granite rock, where they "freeze", perched on
a rock for hours on end to outsmart predators.
Habitat:
Klipspringer live in rocky mountainous areas and are outstanding climbers,
ascending the steepest cliffs.
Occurrence:
Klipspringer are abundant in the mountainous Naukluft areas, along the
escarpment and in the Erongo Mountains and isolated populations in
mountainous terrain throughout Namibia.
Gestation period:
7 months
Main food:
Grazer
Horns:
Only the buck carry small horns, rising vertically upwards with pointed
tips. The length of horns is up to 15 cm / 6 inch. Old rams usually have
worn, horn tips, with pronounced ridging at the base.
Habits:
They normally move in small groups of two to five animals. When in danger,
they move upwards against the cliff, usually jumping only from one rock to
another to get a better vantage point. One of their characteristics is their
remarkable bouncing movement, almost like a rubber ball, when they flee.
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