Sharpe's Grysbok is a shy, delicate, alert animal that when disturbed, scuttles away through the thick undergrowth with its head held straight down. This grysbok is named after Sir Arthur Sharpe who came across this species in Malawi. It is similar to the cape grysbok, but it is smaller, and the male has shorter horns (the female has no horns). Its feeding time is in the cool of the day or at night: it eats away at shrubs and bushes and sometimes also grazes on tender grasses.

The Sharpe's Grysbok tends to be so well camouflaged when it lies quietly in a sheltered spot that it is very difficult to see. Sharpe's grysbok are loners: often the ram and ewe will rest some distance from one another: they usually occur solitarily, in pairs, or a female with her single offspring. Sharpe's grysbok has numerous enemies, including the python, large birds of prey, and a range of large carnivores, from caracals to lions. They are found from Swaziland and Mapumalanga north to Malawi and Zambia, and as far north as Tanzania. A single young is born, at any time of year.

More facts about Sharpe's Grysbok

WHERE FOUND: Kruger National Park