The grey rhebok or gray rhebuck (''Pelea capreolus''), locally known as the ''reebok'' in Afrikaans, is a species of

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...

native to South Africa,

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

, and

Eswatini (Swaziland) Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

. The specific name ''capreolus'' is Latin for 'little goat'.

Description

left, A female at the San Diego Zoo Grey Rhebok 2017 08 22 5546

The grey rhebok is a medium-sized antelope weighing with a long neck and narrow ears. The coat is short and dense and coloured in various shades of grey. Only the males carry horns, which are straight, sharp, ringed at the base, and around long.

Distribution and habitat

Generally confined to the higher areas of Southern Africa, they typically inhabit grassy, montane habitats - for example,

sourveld Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswa ...

- usually 1000 m above sea level, and carry a woolly grey coat to insulate them from the cold. They are not strictly limited to this habitat as they can be found in the coastal belt of the Cape, almost at sea level.

Reproduction and behaviour

The grey rhebok is territorial and maintains its territory by urinating and defecating, standing or walking in an upright posture, and patrolling. Males become extremely aggressive during the

breeding season Seasonal breeders are animal species that successfully mate only during certain times of the year. These times of year allow for the optimization of survival of young due to factors such as ambient temperature, food and water availability, and cha ...

. The grey rhebok usually aggregates in herds of one to 15 females and young and one mature male. This species is therefore

polygynous Polygyny (; from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); ) is the most common and accepted form of polygamy around the world, entailing the marriage of a man with several women. Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any ...

. The grey rhebok is a seasonal breeder, with mating taking place between January and April. Females are pregnant for about seven months, and give birth to a single calf in late spring and summer (November to January in the Southern Hemisphere). This species is a browser, and gets most of its water from the food it eats, so it can utilize food sources a long distance from standing water.

Conservation status

The grey rhebok is listed as Near Threatened, with the population estimated to be at least 2,000 individuals in protected areas and perhaps as many as 18,000 in unprotected areas. The uncertainty regarding the exact number is due to extensive areas of the species' range not having been surveyed or where estimates are unavailable.

In contemporary culture

The Afrikaans spelling of the species, ''reebok'', lends its name to the British-American sportswear manufacturing company Reebok. In 1958, Reebok founder

Joseph William Foster Joseph William Foster (born 18 May 1935) is the co-founder of Reebok with his older brother Jeffery William Foster (Jeff). He shares the same name as his grandfather, also named Joseph William Foster. Foster's grandfather was the founder of J.W. ...

found the name in ''US Webster’s New School and Office Dictionary''.

References

External links

{{Authority control Bovidae Antelopes of Sub-Saharan Africa Mammals of Eswatini Mammals of Lesotho Mammals of South Africa Mammals of Southern Africa grey rhebok