🇿🇦South Africa·National Animal
🦌Springbok
Famous for pronking — and rugby.
The Springbok is South Africa's national animal and the namesake of the national rugby team. It's a small, fast antelope native to the dry interior of southern Africa, capable of remarkable jumping displays known as 'pronking.'
Why this animal?
Endemic to southern Africa and historically migrated in herds of millions across the Karoo plains. Both colonial and post-apartheid South African governments retained the springbok as a unifying national symbol.
Things to know
- ·Pronking — jumping straight up with arched back and stiff legs — can launch a springbok 4 metres into the air.
- ·Springboks can run 90 km/h, second only to the cheetah among African mammals.
- ·Historical 'trek-bokken' migrations across South Africa contained tens of millions of springboks, taking days to pass.
- ·They can survive without drinking water for long periods, getting moisture from plants.
- ·A springbok's pronk may signal predators 'I see you — don't bother chasing me.'