Steenbok Facts
Steenbok Facts
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| Interesting Steenbok Facts: |
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| Steenbok can reach 24 to 27 inches in length and 15 to 35 pounds of weight. |
| Steenbok is covered with short, golden-brown or reddish-colored coat. Chin, throat and belly are white in color. Eyes are encircled with white hair. Inner side of the ears is covered with dark, finger-shaped lines. |
| Steenbok has extremely large, broad ears and excellent sense of hearing. It also has large eyes and good eyesight. |
| Only males are equipped with smooth, sharp and straight horns that can reach 2.8 to 7.5 inches in length. |
| Steenbok is diurnal animal (active during the day). It rests in the shade during the hottest part of a day. |
| Steenbok is herbivore (plant eater). Its diet is based on leaves, grass, berries and seed. Bulbs and tubers are on the menu during dry periods of year. |
| Steenbok rarely drinks water. It is able to absorb all the moisture that it needs from the food. |
| Steenbok defecates and urinates in the holes in the ground. It later covers the holes with the ground to eliminate visual signs which most predators use when they are looking for food. |
| Steenbok freezes and remains motionless in the grass when it is faced with danger. In the case of close encounter with predators, steenbok explosively emerges from the hiding place and starts to run in a zigzag manner. It occasionally hides inside abandoned aardvark's burrows. |
| Natural enemies of steenboks are leopards, caracals, wild dogs, jackals, pythons and large eagles. |
| Steenboks form monogamous couples (they mate for a lifetime) that occupy territory of 4 to 100 hectares. Male and female usually live apart from each other and gather only during the mating season. |
| Steenboks are able to mate all year round. Most babies are born during November and December. |
| Pregnancy in females lasts 170 days and ends with one baby (fawn). Even though baby is able to stand on its feet one hour after birth, it remains hidden in tall grass during the first few weeks. Mother eliminates baby's feces and urine to conceal all odors that attract nearby predators. |
| Young steenbok depends on the mother's milk during the first 3 months of its life. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 6 to 7 months, males few months later, at the age of 9 months. |
| Steenbok can survive around 7 years in the wild. |
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