Sharpe's or northern grysbok (''Raphicerus sharpei'') is a small, shy, solitary antelope that is found from tropical to south-eastern Africa.

Range

They are found in the Transvaal (

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

), the Caprivi Strip (

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...

Description

It is similar in size to the gray duiker, but has a stockier body and shaggy fur over the hindquarters. It stands about 20" (45–60 cm) at the shoulders and weighs only 7–11.5 kg. Its coat is reddish-brown streaked with white; eye-rings, muzzle, throat and underside are off-white. The males have stubby horns, which are widely spaced. Sharpe's grysbok has a short, deep muzzle with large mouth and heavy molars for grinding. The short neck and head on a long-legged body result in a high-rumped posture when browsing.

Habits

Although widespread, Sharpe's grysbok is infrequently seen. Males and females seem to form brief associations, but the species is usually encountered singly.

Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

is marked with dung middens. Their habitat is rocky hill country, but preferring fertile zones on the lower slopes. They are nocturnal browsers and spend the day in the protective cover of tall grass or shrubs. They are extremely timid and will run away at the first sign of anything unusual, although this flight is accompanied "short stamping hops";Kingdon, Jonathan. 1997. ''The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals''. Academic Press, San Diego & London. Pp. 386-387. () they move well away from where the disturbance occurred before stopping (unlike

steenbok The steenbok (''Raphicerus campestris'') is a common small antelope of southern and eastern Africa. It is sometimes known as the steinbuck or steinbok. Description Steenbok resemble small oribi, standing 45–60 cm (16"–24") at the ...

, which stop and look back).Smithers, Reay H.N. 1971. The Mammals of Botswana. ''Museum Memoir'' No. 4. The Trustees of the National Museum of Rhodesia, Salisbury arare Rhodesia imbabwe Pp. 221–222. Sharpe's Grysbok are reported to take refuge in aardvark burrows, like steenbok. Sharpe's grysbok browse on leaves, buds, herb and fruits—in the dry season, their food is typically tough (for which their teeth and jaws are adapted). Grazed grass makes up about 30% of their diet. Like the Cape grysbok they use a communal latrine and mark sticks in its vicinity with pre-orbital gland secretions.

Taxonomy

The closely related Cape (or southern) grysbok (''R. melanotis'') occurs in the western

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

region. In the 1980s, Haltenorth and DillerHaltenorth, Theodor and Helmut Diller. 1980. ''A Field Guide to the Mammals of Africa including Madagascar''. Collins, London. Pp. 53–54. () considered ''R. sharpei'' as a subspecies of ''R. melanotis'', but it is now known to be more closely related to the steenbok.

References

:Ellerman, J.R., T.C.S. Morrison-Scott and R.W. Hayman. 1953. ''Southern African Mammals 1758 to 1951: A Reclassification''. British Museum (Natural History), London. P. 186.

External links

Photos of Sharpe's Grysbok
{{Taxonbar, from=Q541610 Dwarf antelopes Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mammals of South Africa Mammals of Namibia Mammals of Botswana Mammals of Zambia Mammals of Zimbabwe Mammals of Eswatini Mammals of Mozambique Fauna of East Africa Mammals of Tanzania Mammals described in 1897 Mammals of Malawi Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas