Klipspringer

Klipspringer, small, graceful antelope that dwells in the rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa. Klipspringers stand only 53 to 58 cm (21 to 23 in) high at the shoulder. They are brown and yellow with white underparts. The males have straight, sharp horns, which are 7 to 11 cm (3 to 4.5 in) long. Both males and females walk on the tips of their tiny hoofs and are extraordinary jumpers. The klipspringer’s coarse, elastic hair has been used for stuffing saddles and upholstered furniture.

Once found in enormous numbers from the Cape of Good Hope to Ethiopia, the klipspringer has become extinct or rare in settled regions. It is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

Scientific classification: The klipspringer is a member of the subfamily Antilopinae, family Bovidae. It is classified as Oreotragus oreotragus.