Raphicerus campestris (Thunberg, 1811) is a animal in the Bovidae family, order Artiodactyla, kingdom Animalia. Not known to be toxic.

Photo of Raphicerus campestris (Thunberg, 1811) (Raphicerus campestris (Thunberg, 1811))
🦋 Animalia

Raphicerus campestris (Thunberg, 1811)

Raphicerus campestris (Thunberg, 1811)

Raphicerus campestris, the steenbok, is a small African antelope with defined physical traits, distribution, and habitat preferences.

Family
Genus
Raphicerus
Order
Artiodactyla
Class
Mammalia

About Raphicerus campestris (Thunberg, 1811)

Steenbok, scientifically named Raphicerus campestris (Thunberg, 1811), resemble small oribi. They stand 45–60 cm (16"–24") at the shoulder, and weigh 7–16 kg (15–35 lb). Their coat can be any shade from fawn to rufous, and is typically quite orange. The underside, including the chin and throat, is white; the ring around the eye is also white. Their ears are large, with "finger-mark" markings on the inner surface. Only males have straight, smooth, parallel horns that measure 7–19 cm (2.8–7.5 in) long. Steenbok have a black crescent-shaped marking between the ears, a long black bridge leading to the glossy black nose, and a circular black scent gland located in front of the eye. Their tail is only 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in) long, so it is not usually visible. There are two distinct clusters in the steenbok's distribution. In East Africa, the species occurs in central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania; it was formerly widespread across Uganda, but is now almost certainly extinct there. In Southern Africa, it occurs in Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and is considered to probably be present in Lesotho. Steenbok inhabit a variety of habitats ranging from semi-desert such as the edge of the Kalahari Desert and Etosha National Park, to open woodland and thickets; this includes open plains, stony savannah, and Acacia–grassland mosaics. They are reported to favour unstable or transitional habitats. At least in the central part of South Africa's Kruger National Park, Steenbok show a distinct year-round preference for Acacia tortilis savannah, and do not tend to migrate to moister areas during the dry season. This differs from the behaviour of many larger African savannah ungulates, including species that live alongside Steenbok during the wet season. The typical population density of steenbok is 0.3–1.0 individuals per square kilometre, and this can reach 4 individuals per km² in optimal habitats.

Photo: (c) pfaucher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by pfaucher · cc-by-nc

Taxonomy

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Artiodactyla Bovidae Raphicerus

More from Bovidae

Sources: GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, NCBI Taxonomy · Disclaimer

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