South African rugby players would no doubt love to have the leaping ability of their nation's sporting mascot, the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis). This dainty antelope makes vertical leaps up to 4m high with upward-arched back, stiff, downward-pointing legs and feet bunched together. This is called 'pronking'. There were once millions of springbok in southern Africa but they devastated crops during their annual mass-migrations to new pastures and were hunted down to their present number of just 250,000, mainly on reserves and farms. Licensed culls and farmed animals provide high-quality meat, and the skin and horns are used as decorative artifacts, mostly for tourists.
The springbok grazes and browses, seeking out flowers in the dry season as they hold more water.
