Steenbok

Raphicerus campestris

General Description

Scientific Name: Raphicerus campestris

Subspecies: No Subspecies (debated)

Population Estimate: 663,000

Population in Assessed Areas: 805

Description: Females are slightly larger than males, weighing between 10-13.5 kg's, whilst males are usually between 9-13 kg's. Females are slightly taller as well, between 45-54 cm tall, while males are around 43-50 cm.

Only rams bear fully developed horns. These are simple and spaced widely apart in contrast to the narrow-based horns of the duiker. They are incredibly sharp and bend slightly forward towards the tips being smooth except for two or three rings directly above the base. Ewes with deformed and inferior horns do occur.

Steenbok are smooth-skinned with a pale red-brown back and a contrasting bright white belly and inner thighs. A darker brown, Y-shaped marking can sometimes be seen on the forehead. Scent glands are found pre-orbitally (black spots in front of the eyes), inter-digitally (between the hoofs) and inter-mandibular (between the lower jaw-halves on the chin). The latter are distinctive of the steenbok and serval. Steenbok are often mistaken for the slightly larger (5-6 cm) oribi of the same sub-family. Oribi can be differentiated by a longer neck, small black spots underneath the ears and a distinctive black upper tail, compared to the short brick-red tail of the steenbok

Ecology: The preferred habitat of steenbok is open and gently undulating plains with scattered trees and shrubs and a short to medium height (2-12 cm) grass layer of sweet, palatable, highly digestible grass species. Sourveld is completely avoided. The most suitable veld types occur within semi-arid savannahs, succulent Karoo and grasslands. The steenbok usually avoids rocky slopes, steep mountains, rugged country, sand deserts, thickets and forests. They are also independent of water, being able to gain most of their moisture requirements from the food they consume.

Climatic conditions of the habitat can vary from semi-arid (< 200 mm annual rainfall) to sub-tropical (500-1 200 mm rainfall), with extreme temperatures of -10C to 50C. Although its distribution corresponds to the occurrence of open and short grasslands, patches of tall grass and scattered shrubs should be available as cover for protection against predators such as leopard, cheetah, caracal, jackal, serval, python, large raptors and feral dogs and as a refuge against bad weather. Disturbed areas such as roadsides, firebreaks, landing strips, the edges of cultivated lands and overgrazed patches are mostly favored due to the abundance of pioneer, broadleaf dicot forbs. That being said, if the overgrazing continues, then even steenbok struggle to coexist with domestic grazers.

The territorial organization of both male and female steenbok disperses the population evenly over a mosaic of available habitats. As forbs form the greater portion of the diet the steenbok select areas where herbaceous plants are abundant and the structure of the vegetation allows easy access to the resource.

Behavior: Steenbok are normally active during both day and night; however during hotter periods, they rest under shade during the heat of the day. The time spent feeding at night increases in the dry season. They've also been seen using Aardvark burrows to escape the head during the middle of the day, something rare for an antelope species.

Diet: Herbivore - Browse, Grasses & Fruits

Male Size: 7-14 Kgs

Female Size: 7-16 Kgs

Trophy Size: 11.43 cm minimum

Generation Length: 3.9 years

Reproductive Season: Year Round

Time of Activity: Diurnal

When alert, a steenbok will instantly freeze for up to 90 seconds before either lying down with head and ears pulled flat, or darting away at a high speed in a rapid take-off, often with huge bounds and with the head held high. Normally a fixed zig-zag flight path is followed for 50-70 m and then changes into a half-circular movement. A sudden quick stop at the end of the zig-zag to glance backwards can result in death if the buck is charged by a predator.

Reproduction: Mating occurs throughout the year and results in the lack of a fixed lambing season, although a slight increase in lambing occurs during an early, wet summer. When courting, the ram nibbles the female’s face and kicks her gently from behind with his foreleg. Ewes become sexually mature at the age of seven months and, unlike most other antelope, attain social maturity almost immediately at 7-9 months. The gestation period is 165-175days and the first lamb is born at about 13 months. The lambing interval is 8-10 months. Birth mass is approximately 0.9 kg and twins occur but are rare. Lambs start feeding on plant material at two weeks and wean at 3-3.5 months. During the first 2-3 weeks the mother conceals the youngster in thicket, tall grass or, preferably, in aardvark and porcupine burrows. Youngsters of both sexes leave the mother by free will at maturity. Rams become sexually mature at nine months and are socially mature at 13-18 months

Conservation Analysis

Current & Historic range:

Steenbok exist in two isolated mega populations, one in East Africa, encompassing most of Tanzania, southern Kenya, and parts of Uganda, and a larger southern population in Namibia, Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia. It also occurred in Lesotho, though it is thought to be extinct there.

Despite population drops in some areas of their range, steenbok have managed to retain most of their historic range, Their small size, independency from water, and their ability to become nocturnal when pressured by human activity has allowed them to persist in a number of areas where livestock grazing is the major land use. The only areas of their historic range where they are not present is in urban areas, or small areas where poaching is especially prevalent.

Current & Historic Populations:. the historic population number of Steenbok is largely unknown, though it is likely to be somewhat larger than current populations. Large areas of their range has seen a change in land use over the past 100+ years, switching from a grazing ecosystem controlled by wild grazers, to pastoral land used to graze livestock and house people. These changes have reduced population densities in many areas, due to degradation of habitat and overutilization of by local peoples. Current Population estimates place the species at over 600,000 individuals across their entire range, but this may actually me much larger, due to the their reclusive nature making surveying attemps very difficult

Map of Steenbok Distribution

Threats to Species Survival: As a whole, Steenbok populations are not under considerable threat, and are though to be stable across most of their range.

The greatest threats to the local survival of Steenbok is poaching, and habitat degradation, largely caused by the expansion of agriculture, as well as urban development. Though the species is tolerant to high hunting pressure, excessive hunting, often occurring in areas where the bush-meat trade is prevalent, can result in unnaturally low populations. Aside from this, most populations seem to be thriving, particularly in areas where they have value as either a food source, or as a trophy for international hunters.

Recommended Conservation Actions:

Increased protection from development and poaching in populations close to human settlements.
Greatly increased regulation in the Bush Meat industry, including a ban on the sale of blue duiker meat in many parts of their range. This should be done whilst allowing for local subsistence harvests, and regulated tourism hunting.
Increase surveying capabilities of most of it's populations, especially outside of protected areas, where much about the status of this species is unknown.

Economic & Cultural Analysis

Ecotourism Value: Low

Hunting Value: Moderate

Meat Value: Moderate to High

Average Trophy Value: $400 USD

Meat Yield per Animal: 3-6 kg

Economic Value/Impacts: Steenbok have significant economic value in many areas, both for their meat value, and for their trophy value. Local villages in arid areas often hunt steenbok as their main source of wild red meat, though this often occurs at unsustainable rates in many areas. Trophy hunting presents a much larger value, as they are a core species in the "Tiny 10" trophy slam, though one of the cheaper species to hunt for this slam. Many properties preserve steenbok for this specific reason.

Their value to ecotourism areas is significantly less, as their small size and reclusive nature means they often aren't noticed, and if they are, they're often overshadowed by more charismatic megafauna.

Cultural Value: Steenbok have likely been hunted by humans and our ancestors for millions of years, due to their small size, lack of defenses, and palatability. Their meat is said to be similar in taste to other antelope species, being very low in fat compared to domestic meats.