Oreotragus transvaalensis (Roberts, 1917)

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 : 735

270.

Transvaal Klipspringer

Oreotragus transvaalensis

French: Oréotrague du Transvaal / German: Transvaal-Klippspringer / Spanish: Saltarrocas de Transvaal

Taxonomy. Oreotragus oreotragus transvaalensis Roberts, 1917 ,

Rooikrans, Rustenburg district, Transvaal.

Formerly considered a synonym of O. oreotragus . Monotypic.

Distribution. Known from KwaZulu-Natal and Transvaal, South Africa, Swaziland, SE Zimbabwe, and probably occurs in neighboring districts of Botswana and Mozambique, but this has to be verified.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 80-87. 5 cm, ear 8:1.8-4 cm, hindfoot 18:5-21 cm. Overall, this species is fairly large in size. The female is somewhat larger than the male. Male skull length is 13.8-14. 7 cm and female is 14.2-15. 7 cm. Horn length is 8:7-12. 7 cm. The color of the Transvaal Klipspringer is bright golden-yellow, with strongly contrasting white underparts. The feet above the hooves are brown. The ears are short, 80-84 mm. The horns are very long, among the largest of all klipspringers, contrasting strongly with the Cape Klipspringer ( O. oreotragus ).

Habitat. The Transvaal Klipspringer occupies rocky areas, like other klipspringers.

Food and Feeding. A concentrate selector, like other klipspringers.

Breeding. Courtship and mating of the Transvaal Klipspringer have been observed during just three weeks in July, suggesting much stronger seasonality than some other species. This would mean that births occur during the rains in November-December.

Activity patterns. There is no specific information available on the activity patterns of the Transvaal Klipspringer. All klipspringers run with ajerky, bounding gait, and jump from rock to rock.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Populations of the Transvaal Klipspringer studied in the Drakensberg range, at Gamka, at Springbok, and at Sentinel (south-eastern Zimbabwe) had territory sizes of 10-49 ha. The territories appear to be permanent, and like other species are based on kopjes.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List (under O. oreotragus ). Oreotragus taxa, except the Nigerian Klipspringer (O. o. porteousi), are not considered separately by IUCN.

Bibliography. Groves & Grubb (2011), Roberts (1996), Skinner & Chimimba (2005).

Figures

269. Cape Klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus), 270. Transvaal Klipspringer (Oreotragus transvaalensis), 271. Stevenson’s Klipspringer (Oreotragus stevensoni), 272. Angolan Klipspringer (Oreotragus tyler), 273. Zambian Klipspringer (Oreotragus centralis), 274. Noack’s Klipspringer (Oreotragus aceratos), 275. Masai Klipspringer (Oreotragus schillingsi), 276. Golden Klipspringer (Oreotragus aureus), 277. Ethiopian Klipspringer (Oreotragus saltatrixoides), 278. Somali Klipspringer (Oreotragus somalicus), 279. Nigerian Klipspringer (Oreotragus porteousi)

Distribution. Known from KwaZulu-Natal and Transvaal, South Africa , Swaziland , SE Zimbabwe , and probably occurs in neighboring districts of Botswana and Mozambique , but this has to be verified.