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Sharpe's Grysbok
Afrikaans name: Tropiese grysbok
Sharpe's Grysbok in Kruger National Park
Photo © Steven Herbert
Raphicerus sharpei
Interesting facts about Sharpe's Grysbok
The Sharpe's Grysbok is a shy and uncommon, if not rare, antelope. The name 'Grysbok' is Afrikaans and is a reference to the grey fleck that these antelope have in their otherwise reddish-brown coat.
They are active in the early morning and late afternoon into the evening. They normally occur singly. Sharpe's Grysbok is about 50 cm in height at the shoulder and only the rams have horns.
The main food of this small antelope is leaves browsed from bushes. It also eats grass, fruit and flowers. It occasionally visits fields of cultivated crops at night to feed.
Very little is known about the breeding habits of the Sharpe's Grysbok other than the female gives birth to a single lamb.
Above - Females do not have horns
Photo © Steven Herbert
References and further reading
An Introduction to the Larger Mammals of Southern Africa - Author: Joanna Dalton - Year Published: 1987 - Page: 249Animals of the Kruger National Park - Author: G. de Graaff - Year Published: 1987 - Page: 27
Chris and Tilde Stuart's Field Guide to the Mammals of Southern Africa - Author: Chris and Tilde Stuart - Year Published: 1988 - Page: 218
Field Guide to the Mammals of the Kruger National Park - Author: U. de V. Pienaar et al. - Year Published: 1987 - Page: 124
Kruger National Park Questions and Answers - Author: P.F. Fourie - Year Published: 1987 - Page: 104
Land Mammals of Southern Africa - A field guide - Author: Reay HN Smithers - Year Published: 1986 - Page: 178
Mammals of Southern Africa - Author: Burger Cillier - Year Published: 1987 - Page: 117
Mammals of the Kruger and other National Parks - Author: The National Parks Board - Year Published: 1980 - Page: 98
Signs of the Wild - Author: Clive Walker - Year Published: 1986 - Page: 167