habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
The natural (historical) distribution of Cape Grysbok is primarily associated with the Fynbos Biome and extends into the Forest, Succulent Thicket and Succulent Karoo Biomes and marginally into the Nama-Karoo and Grassland Biomes. They are absent from the Desert and Savanna Biomes. They are locally common in thickets, shrublands and the fynbos habitats. Dense cover is an important habitat requirement. Their presence in the high-altitude grasslands of the north-eastern Cape is conditional on the proximity of forest fragments and bush clumps, although they may also use long grass for cover (Castley and Lloyd 2013). They also enter developed areas such as vineyards and agricultural areas (East 1999), and have been blamed, along with the Common Duiker, for extensive damage to young shoots in tea plantations in the Cedarberg (C.T. Stuart and T. Stuart pers. comm. in Castley and Lloyd 2013). This only happens where there is suitable habitat in close proximity. Cape Grysbok are generally regarded as browsers (Stynder 2009). The inclusion of grass in the diet has also been reported (Manson 1974) but has been regarded as unimportant (Skinner and Chimimba 2005), but its importance may fluctuate with environmental changes (Faith 2011). More recently, however, some studies have shown that the Cape Grysbok is a highly selective browser (Kigozi et al. 2008, Kerley et al. 2010). Furthermore, Kerley et al. (2010) reported significant selection for grasses in their study. This is an adaptable species and can survive in human-modified landscapes provided that vegetation with the required understorey cover remains.