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

Top

References and further reading

African Wildlife - A photographic safari - Author: Nigel and Wendy Dennis - Year Published: 1999 - Page: 91

An Introduction to the Larger Mammals of Southern Africa - Author: Joanna Dalton - Year Published: 1987 - Page: 249

Animals 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 - 1st Edition - Author: Chris and Tilde Stuart - Year Published: 1988 - Page: 218

Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa - 1st Edition - Author: Chris and Tilde Stuart - Year Published: 1997 - Page: 188

Field Guide to the Mammals of Southern Africa - 3rd Edition - Author: Chris and Tilde Stuart - Year Published: 2001 - 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 - 3rd Edition - Author: Clive Walker - Year Published: 1986 - Page: 167

Signs of the Wild - 5th Edition - Author: Clive Walker - Year Published: 1996 - Page: 151

Wildlife of Southern Africa - Author: Martin Withers and David Hosking - Year Published: 2011 - Page: 238

List of South African Mammals