habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
Grey Rhebok are associated with rocky hills, grassy mountain slopes, and plateau grasslands in the eastern extent of their distribution. In the south and southwest, their distribution is associated with the rocky hills of mountain fynbos and the little Karoo. They are predominantly browsers, often feeding on ground-hugging forbs, and largely water independent, obtaining most of their water requirements from their food (Avenant 2013). Forbs constitute the majority of their diet, especially the flowers and leaves of the plants (Esser 1973, Rowe-Rowe 1983a, Beukes 1988). They require good grass cover within their home ranges for shelter and to hide from predators, but often use steep open areas with little cover when feeding. In the Western Cape, they are often observed on agricultural lands (Radloff 2008, C. Birss pers. obs. 2016). For example, there is seasonal movement between Bontebok National Park and surrounding agricultural lands (C. Cowell unpubl. data). Similarly, in the southern Drakensberg, Grey Rhebok move over large areas that encompass protected areas and adjacent farmlands (O’Connor and Krüger 2003).Home range size is estimated at 30-100 ha in the eastern Free State mountain grasslands (Taylor et al. 2007). The social system of Grey Rhebok is female defence polygyny, with males aggressively defending a harem of 2-7 females plus accompanying young in a stable herd (Taylor and Skinner 2006). This harem system of females remaining permanently with a single territorial male for long periods is very unusual amongst antelope species. Non-territorial males generally remain solitary. This behaviour may exacerbate an Allee effect in this species (whereby there is a decline in individual fitness at low population size or density) since family groups are closed to outsiders and male offspring disperse as yearlings and remain peripheral until they gain a territory, but further research is required to investigate this.
Ecosystem and cultural services: Grey Rhebok are an important foraging species in hilly areas. In many small protected areas, or those close to urban areas, Grey Rhebok are the largest browsing ungulate that can be stocked, thus performing a pivotal role in the ecosystem. The Dutch spelling of the species, reebock, gave its name to the sport brand Reebok. The name “roebuck” appears often in early records of settlers in the Cape (South Africa); this animal probably reminded these settlers very much of the European Roebuck (Roe Deer, Capreolus capreolus). The pronunciation and spelling over the years have changed through Roe, Rabock, Reebok, Raybuck to Rhebok in English and “Ribbok” in Afrikaans (Skead 2011).
