22-10-2025 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - BLESBOK (MALE) (Damaliscus pygargus ssp. phillipsi)

The bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus) is an antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. D. pygargus has two subspecies; the nominate subspecies (D. p. pygargus), occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of the Western Cape, and the blesbok (D. p. phillipsi) occurring in the Highveld.

The bontebok is related to the common tsessebe.

Bontebok are not good jumpers, but they are very good at crawling under things. Mature males form territories and face down other males in displays and occasionally fight them.

The bontebok is a tall, medium-sized antelope. They typically stand 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 in) high at the shoulder and measure 120 to 210 cm (47 to 83 in) along the head and body. The tail can range from 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in). Body mass can vary from 50 to 155 kg (110 to 342 lb). Males are slightly larger and noticeably heavier than females. The bontebok is a chocolate brown colour, with a white underside and a white stripe from the forehead to the tip of the nose, although there is a brown stripe across the white near the eyes in most blesbok. The bontebok also has a distinctive white patch around its tail (hence the Latin name), while this patch is light brown/tan in the blesbok. The horns of the bontebok are lyre-shaped and clearly ringed. They are found in both sexes and can reach a length of half a metre.

Blesbok live in the Highveld, where they eat short grasses, while bontebok are restricted to the coastal Fynbos and the Renosterveld. They are diurnal, though they rest during the heat of the day. Herds may contain only males, only females, or be mixed, and do not exceed 40 animals for bontebok or 70 for blesbok.

8-3-2023 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - BLESBOK (Damaliscus pygargus ssp. phillipsi)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/129724-Damaliscus-pygargus-phillipsi

3-11-2021 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - BLESBOK (Damaliscus pygargus ssp. phillipsi)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42275-Damaliscus-pygargus

12-2-2020 BIOPARC, VALENCIA - BLESBOK (Damaliscus pygargus ssp. phillipsi)

The blesbok or blesbuck (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi) is a subspecies of the bontebok antelope endemic to South Africa, Eswatini and Namibia. It has a distinctive white face and forehead, which inspired the name because bles is the Afrikaans (and Dutch language) word for a blaze such as one might see on the forehead of a horse.

The blesbok and the bontebok (D. p. pygargus) are subspecies of the same species and can readily interbreed, the hybrid offspring being known as the bontebles or baster blesbok; the differences between the two subspecies have arisen due to preferences for different habitats in the wild.

The blesbok is endemic to southern Africa and is found in large numbers in all national parks with open grasslands, from the Highveld north of the Vaal River southwards through the Free State, to the Eastern Cape. It is a plains species and dislikes wooded areas. It was first described in the 17th century in bountiful herds.

Physically, rams and ewes are remarkably similar. Their mass can be as much as 85 kg. A characteristic of the blesbok is the prominent white blaze on the face and a horizontal brown strip that divides this blaze above the eyes. The body is brown with a lighter-coloured saddle on the back and the rump an even lighter shade. The legs are brown, with a white patch behind the top part of the front legs. Lower legs whitish. Both sexes carry horns, ringed almost to the tip. Female horns are slightly more slender. The neck and the top of the back of the blesbok are brown. Lower down on the flanks and buttocks, the coloring becomes darker. The belly, the inside of the buttocks, and the area up to the base of the tail is white. Blesbok can be easily differentiated from other antelopes because they have a distinct white face and forehead. The blesbok differs from the bontebok by having less white on the coat and the blaze on the face, which is usually divided; the coat is also a lighter yellow than the bontebok. The length of their horns averages at around 38 cm. Male adult blesbok average around 70 kg; females average lower, at around 61 kg.

Body length: 140–160 cm (4.6–5.2 ft)

Shoulder height: 85–100 cm (2.79–3.28 ft)

Tail length: 30–45 cm (12–18 in)

Weight: 55–80 kg (121–176 lb)

Blesbok can be found in open veld or plains of South Africa, Eswatini and Namibia. Their preferred habitat is open grassland with water. They often occupy relatively small territories of 2.5 to 6.0 acres in size. They were once one of the most abundant antelope species of the African plains but have become scarce since 1893 due to relentless poaching for their skins and meat. Trophy hunting has helped the blesbok to survive and thrive in the areas where they are hunted legally.

The blesbok is a seasonal breeder, with rutting from March to May. Births peak during November and December after a gestation period of about 240 days (8 months). Females give birth to a single calf per breeding season.

The blesbok was hunted nearly to extinction because of its large numbers, but having been protected since the late 19th century, it has proliferated. Today, it is sufficiently numerous not to be classed as endangered. In modern times, this is largely because of the commercial value of the blesbok to private landowners and because it is one of the few medium-sized antelopes that can be contained by normal stock fencing. As of 2017, blesbok numbers have had an upward trend, and are estimated to be at least 54,000, with about 69% of these thought to be genetically pure. There are at least 17,000 in protected areas. The principal threat is thought to be hybridization with the bontebok.

Lions, leopards, African wild dogs, spotted hyenas, cheetahs and humans are the blesbok's main predators, while jackals, eagles, and potentially rock pythons and monitor lizards may take unattended calves. Nile crocodiles will catch blesbok opportunistically, if they come to drink at bodies of water where crocodiles reside, or attempt to cross rivers with crocodiles in them.

The blesbok is also farmed and hunted for its skin, meat and for trophies. Blesbok are shy and alert; they rely on speed and endurance to escape predators but tend to return to where they were attacked after a few minutes. When chased, they can maintain a speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) but, like other white-fronted damalisques, blesbok are not good jumpers. They are, however, very good at crawling under things.

Fossil remains of a prehistoric relative, Damaliscus niro, were found in deposits in Sterkfontein. With a weight of approximately 120 kg, it was heavier than the modern blesbok and had slightly different horns. D. niro became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene 12,000 years ago.