Damaliscus pygargus (Pallas, 1767)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Bovidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 444-779 : 657

152.

Bontebok

Damaliscus pygargus

French: Bontebok / German: Buntbock / Spanish: Bontebok

Taxonomy. Antilope pygargus Pallas, 1767 ,

Cape of Good Hope. Restricted by Bigalke in 1948 to Swart River, near Caledon.

The name Antilope dorcas Pallas, 1766 , became widely used for this species in the latter half of the 20" century, but it is preoccupied as a junior secondary homonym. Formerly included the Blesbok ( D. phillipst ) as a subspecies. Monotypic.

Distribution. S South Africa (coastal plains in the Western Cape province).

Descriptive notes. Few measurements available. Shoulder height 90 cm; weight 68— 86 kg (males) and 56 kg (females). The color is rich dark brown, with a purple gloss on the sides of the head, flanks, and upper part of the limbs. The face is white from the forehead down to the snout, the white area slightly constricted between the eyes; the rump is white, the white extending around the base of the tail to the legs and onto the underside; the hocks and the legs below knees are white. The horns are initially upright, then curve backward and outward, and then curve slightly forward toward the tips; they are black on the upper surface of the rings. Skull length is 29.3-33. 5 cm; horn length is 32-35. 6 cm (males) and 29.1-33. 1 cm (females); and horn span is 22:2-24. 6 cm (males) and 19.7-22. 7 cm (females). There islittle sexual dimorphism beyond the longer and more robust horns of the males. The preorbital secretion is yellowish-black. Hoof glands are found on the forefeet only.

Habitat. The species has always been confined to the coastal plains up to elevations of 200 m in the exceptionally diverse vegetation type known as Fynbos, where there is plentiful short grass, some cover, and proximity to streams.

Food and Feeding. Almost exclusively grass, especially short grass; Bonteboks especially favor burnt areas where new grass is sprouting.

Breeding. Breeding is seasonal; rut is fromJanuary to the middle of March. During rut, males spend an average of 35 minutes/day interacting with their neighbors, compared to only 20 minutes/day at other times of year. A male may challenge a territory holder; the pair stand head-to-tail, each sniffing the other’s rump, with much head-shaking and tail-swishing. Commonly they also perform a head-dipping display, defecate in the crouching posture, horn the ground, and rub their faces in the grass, smearing the grass with their preorbital glands. Courtship includes a low-stretch display, made when courting or when herding, either walking or running; the tail may be curled over the back during periods of high intensity. Gestation is about 240 days.

Activity patterns. Territorial males spend 55% of daylight hours grazing (less during rut, more during winter), 23% ruminating, 10% resting, and 13% in other activities— mostly related to territory maintenance or sex. Females spend 65% grazing, 21% ruminating, 9-5% resting, and only 5% in other activities. Bonteboks are most active in early morning and late afternoon, and rest in the shade during the heat of the day or stand in groups facing the sun with their heads held low.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The social groupings of the Bontebok consist ofterritorial males, female—young herds, and bachelor groups. The territories are 10-40 ha and are held year-round; the average tenure is 22 months, but some males apparently may hold the same territory for their entire adult lives. The males mark their territories with dung heaps, averaging 4-3 heaps/ha; they defecate when crouching, after first kneeling and ground-horning. A few territories remain vacant, their holders having vacated them voluntarily. Males attempt to become territorial at about five years of age. The female—young herds, consisting on average of eight individuals, have a hierarchy that is maintained by threat or sparring; the herd also sometimes drives off males with what is described as a “bucking bounce,” kicking out at them with the hindlegs. The herds occupy home ranges that encompass 2-3 male territories, though sometimes a herd remains for as much as a year in a single male’s territory, acting in effect as the harem of the particular territorial male. Bachelor groups, which may also include a few females, are very loose in structure; males join them at about one year of age, sometimes after a period of being solitary.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List (as D. pygargus pygargus ). Even when it wasfirst described by Europeans, this species was known only from the coastal district of the Western Cape, between the Bot River and the Heidelberg—Riversdale area and some way inland. The Bontebok was exterminated from most of its range by early Dutch settlers, but preserved on the farm of the van der Byl family, near Bredasdorp, from 1837 onward, and nearby farmers followed suit. The first official move toward its preservation was not until 1931, when Bontebok National Park was established south of Bredasdorp, but the land was not suitable. The Bontebok were moved to near Swellendam in 1961, and since then the numbers have grown to well over 2000 and populations have been reintroduced widely, including to the Cape Point Reserve south of Cape Town.

Bibliography. Estes (1991a, 1991b), Skinner & Chimimba (2005).

Figures

152. Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus), 153. Blesbok (Damaliscus phillipsi), 154. Western Tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus), 155. Bangweulu Tsessebe (Damaliscus superstes), 156. Korrigum (Damaliscus korrigum), 157. Tiang (Damaliscus tiang), 158. Uganda Top 1 (Damaliscus ugandae), 159. Ruaha Topt (Damaliscus eurus), 160. Serengeti Topi (Damaliscus jimela), 161. Coastal Topt (Damaliscus topr)

Distribution. S South Africa (coastal plains in the Western Cape province).