Gemsbok

[Bushveld Jock]

Hyaenas walked wide circles around this gemsbok at Maries draai.

[Bushveld Jock]

[Bushveld Jock]

See along the Nossob 4x4 Eco Route:

[Lisbeth]

Cute little one

[ExFmem]

looks dangerous with the long-horned females

Like your mom always said, " CAREFUL, you could poke an eye out!"

Loving all the pics showing up They are truly very simply, but stunningly marked animals.

[Lisbeth]

[Mel]

They are truly very simply, but stunningly marked animals.

They are also very helpful to point out lions in the vicinity: On our latest trip we experienced a day when at three different waterholes quite a few gemsbok had congregated - all huffing and puffing and obviously not happy about something. That something turned out to be lion(s) in each case. Yet, the gemsbok didn't take off.
Just the opposite: They went closer to the lions to get a better look at them.

[nan]

with an itch and a friend



busy marking

[Flutterby]

Great pics and info! The little ones are very cute.

[Dewi]

It is believed that the name Gemsbok derives from the German name for the European Chamois "gems" and the Dutch word "bok" for buck.

Due to their hiding of the young as ExFmem mentioned earlier, early settlers believed that the young were born with horns.

They can reabsorb moisture from their diet when it is retained in their gut and can reduce the water content from 82% in the proximal gut to less than 56% in their faeces. San Bushmen were aware of the high moisture content in the guts and would strain the vegetative matter through a sieve of grass into hide pouches or ostrich eggs.

Gus Mills found that Gemsbok made up 52% 0f Spotted Hyaena diets and 32% of Lions.

Adult Gemsbok will reverse into a thorn bush to defend themselves against Spotted Hyaenas. The thorns protect their rear and flanks, whilst the horns protect them from frontal attack.

A few pics of youngsters.