Description

A slender antelope species, up to 84cm high at the shoulder and weighing between 27 - 42 kg. Although born black, adult black springbuck are two-shades of dark chocolate brown in colour with a black stripe on the side. White markings on the face develop as the animals mature.

Why are some springbuck black?
“It is believed to be a highly recessive gene combination. This one has the black stripe like 'normal' springbok and the rest of it is a dark charcoal colour.” The word melanism comes from the Greek 'melanos', meaning dark coloured, and it is what we see when an animal has an increased amount of dark pigmentation.