springbok

springbok

(less commonly), springbuck

an antelope, Antidorcas marsupialis, of semidesert regions of southern Africa, which moves in leaps exposing a patch of white erectile hairs on the rump that are usually covered by a fold of skin

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Springbok

 

(Antidorcas marsupialis), an artiodactyl mammal of the family Bovidae. The body length is 120 to 140 cm, the tail length reaches 87 cm, and the weight is 32–36 kg. The back and sides are yellow-brown; the sides are marked with dark stripes. The head and underparts are white. Along the back and croup there is a fold of skin with long, light hairs that stand up, forming a white crest, when the animal is frightened or excited. Both males and females have lyre-shaped horns reaching a length of 40 cm. The springbok is a herd animal that inhabits the forest-less plains of southern Africa (south of 10° S lat.). In fright or in play it jumps as high as 3.5 m. The springbok feeds on grass and the leaves of shrubs. Nearly extinct, it has been preserved only in a few national parks in southern Africa.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.