The grey rhebok (''Pelea capreolus''), locally known as the ''vaalribbok'' in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

, is a species of

antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

native to South Africa,

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

, and

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

. 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 - usually 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 A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

, almost at sea level.

Reproduction and behaviour

The grey rhebok is territorial and maintains its

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

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 ch ...

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

polygynous Polygyny () is a form of polygamy entailing the marriage of a man to several women. The term polygyny is from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); . Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent. Some scholar ...

. The grey rhebok is a seasonal breeder. This species is a browser, and gets most of its water from the food it eats, so it can utilise food sources a long distance from standing water.

Conservation status

The grey rhebok is listed as

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

due to a 20% decline over 3 generations of its subpopulations in 13 protected areas, from 1999 to 2014; the largest protected subpopulation in the

Maloti-Drakensberg Park The Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a World Heritage Site, established on 11 June 2001 by linking the Sehlabathebe National Park in the Kingdom of Lesotho and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The highest peak is Thaba Nt ...

lost an estimated 15-20% of its population. Population records also support anecdotal reports of decline or local extinctions in the North West, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces, as well as the

Lesotho Highlands The Lesotho Highlands are formed by the Drakensberg and Maloti mountain ranges in the east and central parts of the country of Lesotho. Foothills form a divide between the lowlands and the highlands. Snow is common in the highlands in the winter ...

. The grey rhebok hasn't been sighted in the

Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve Mpumalanga, Situated on the edge of the highveld plateau, the reserve covers an area of 2,400 ha around the dam which impounds a stretch of the Ohrigstad River. Biodiversity The near threatened grey rhebok T ...

since 2013.

In contemporary culture

The Afrikaans spelling of the species, ''reebok'', lends its name to the British-American sportswear manufacturing company

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

. 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

{{authority control antelopes of Sub-Saharan Africa Bovidae mammals described in 1790 mammals of Eswatini mammals of Lesotho mammals of South Africa mammals of Southern Africa