Blesbok – Damaliscus pygargus

The blesbok is a mammal of the Bovidae family.

It lives mainly in the southern African country since it is from the Cape.

There is a subspecies called Bontebok, which was discovered well before Blesbok. It has a different color of fur, more mixed.

The Blesbok has the allure of an brown antelope, with tall horns up to 50 centimeters, a broad white band covers its  forehead. It has an average size; the length of its body is about 1.5m.  A male weighs 65 kg to 85 kg and a female does not exceed 70kg.

Most of the time, Blesbok moves and lives in herds. A herd is composed of a dominant male and 7 females, sometimes 8. A very special attitude can be seen in hot weather as this antelope is very responsive to heat. Males attribute a small plot of up to 2.5 hectares. It is during rutting season of March to May. The gestation period is determined to within 240 days, or 8 months. The female can give birth to one baby at a time and once a year. Young have a very short fur that blends into nature and they are very difficult to spot. The Blesbok is a herbivore ruminant. It lives mainly near water points and feeds shoots and grass.

Over 95% of these antelopes comes in natural reserves. In France, they are visible only in 11 zoos.

Predators are numerous: cheetahs lions through hyenas, eagles and pythons. How often are the Blesbok young people who are the most affected.

Life expectancy is 17 years or so.