Zingela Safaris

Blesbok Photo Album Page 9

HABITAT

Highveld grassland with permanent water.

HABITS

Active during the day. Shelters amongst trees and bushes. In very hot weather stands facing the sun with head lowered. Drinks at least once a day. Both sexes and all ages depost preorbital gland secretion on grass stalks, which are then stroked with the horns, picking up a deposit of secretion between the ridges. Secretion from glands between the front hooves is deposited while walking and when territory residents paw the ground and scrape dung. Standing sideways on to intruders, foot stamping, horn swinging and digging up soil with the horns advertise territory occupation, and territories are defended by vigorous bouts of horn clashing, which can become serious, and are sometimes fatal.

DIET

A grazer, but will take some browse. The males mass are 70kg. and the females are 60kg.

BREEDING

Females give birth to a single young after a gestation period of 246 days and give birth from August to December. They have a lifespan of 13 years.

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Tadd Blair and Robin Blair of New Mexico with a Blesbok.

Suzi Huntington of California posing with a Blesbok while PH Jannie Spangenberg takes the shot and future PH Gerrit Spangenberg observes how it is done.