graceful, strikingly marked antelope of the gazelle tribe, Antilopini (family Bovidae (bovid), order Artiodactyla (artiodactyl)). The springbok is native to the open, treeless plains of southern Africa. It once roamed in enormous herds but is now much reduced in numbers. It is the national and sporting emblem of South Africa.

Native to southwest Africa, where it is the most abundant plains antelope, the springbok was once a dominant migrating species, along with the black wildebeest and the blesbok, in South Africa's vast Highveld and Karoo regions, where it is still common on the farms and ranches that have subdivided and transformed this vast ecosystem. Migratory populations of springbok still exist in Botswana's Kalahari and in the subdesert and desert of Namibia and southwestern Angola. Of the several recognized subspecies, which are adapted to different climatic and ecological conditions, the Highveld-Karoo variety (Antidorcas marsupialis marsupialis) is the smallest, and the variety of Namibia's Kaokoveld (A. marsupialis hofmeyri) is the largest. Its shoulder height is 69–87 cm (27–34 inches), and its weight is 27–48 kg (59–106 pounds). The heavily ringed horns are 35–49 cm (14–19 inches) in length (smaller and thinner in females) and have an unusual stethoscope shape with hooked tips pointing inward. The coat is pale to rich cinnamon brown with extensive areas of white including the head, ears, underparts, backs of legs, rump, and tail. A heavy black side stripe, narrow cheek stripe, and tail tip contrast with the white markings.

A mixed feeder comparable to Thomson's gazelle, the springbok grazes during the rainy season and browses on foliage, forbs, and tsama melons during the dry season. It drinks when water is available but can subsist indefinitely on browse with a water content of at least 10 percent.