Bontebok
Damaliscus pygargus (Pallas, 1767)
The bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus) is a species in the family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla. Recorded adults weigh 84.5 kg to 102 kg and live up to 21.5 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the bontebok
- Weight
- 84.5 kg – 102 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 21.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 23.9 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 243 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.25src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 23.2 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the bontebok live?
Not recorded
What is the bontebok?
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.
From the Wikipedia article “Bontebok” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bontebok&oldid=1380179313), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the bontebok endangered?
The bontebok is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the bontebok classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderArtiodactyla
- familyBovidae
- genusDamaliscus
- SpeciesDamaliscus pygargus (Pallas, 1767)
Synonyms Antilope pygargus, Damaliscus dorcas, Damaliscus dorcas dorcas, Damaliscus pygargus pygargus, Damaliscus pygarus dorcas
Other names and names in other languages (30)
- BlesbokEnglish
- Blesbok/BontebokEnglish
- BontbokEnglish
- Bontebok (see comments).English
- Common SassabieEnglish
- BlesbokAfrikaans
- ساسابي أبيض الردفArabic
- DamaliscCatalan
- buvolec pestrýCzech
- BlisbukDanish
- BuntbockGerman
- Αντιλόπη ΜπόντεμποκGreek
- bontebok y BlesbokSpanish
- valkopäätopiFinnish
- Damalisque à front blancFrench
- tarka lantszarvúantilopHungarian
- Antilope pigargaItalian
- Damalisco fronte biancaItalian
- ボンテボックJapanese
- 본테복Korean
- DorcasantilopeNorwegian Bokmål
- Bontebok / BlesbokDutch
- sasebi przylądkowyPolish
- BonteboquePortuguese
- бентбокRussian
- Беломордый бубалRussian
- BläsbockSwedish
- noneTswana
- 白紋牛羚Chinese
- 白纹牛羚Chinese
Relatives of the bontebok
Other species in the same genus Damaliscus.
Common tsessebe
Damaliscus lunatus
Korrigum
Damaliscus korrigum
Bangweulu tsessebe
Damaliscus superstes
Coastal topi
Damaliscus topi
Ruaha topi
Damaliscus eurus
Serengeti topi
Damaliscus jimela
CompareBontebok vs Common tsessebeBontebok vs KorrigumBontebok vs Bangweulu tsessebeBontebok vs Coastal topi
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the bontebok?
An adult bontebok weighs 84.5 kg – 102 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the bontebok endangered?
The bontebok is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the bontebok live?
The bontebok has a recorded lifespan of 21.5 years.
How long is the bontebok pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 243 days.
What kind of animal is the bontebok?
The bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus) belongs to the family Bovidae in the order Artiodactyla.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bontebok
“Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/bontebok.
@misc{bontebok_2026,
title = {Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/bontebok},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}