# Where Do Springboks Live?

> Where springboks live: Arid and semi-arid grasslands of southern Africa, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** Springbok (*Antidorcas marsupialis*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Herbivore — grasses, shrubs, and succulents
- **Habitat:** Arid and semi-arid grasslands of southern Africa
- **Lifespan:** 10–12 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** Up to 88 km/h (55 mph); pronking leaps up to 2 m high
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/springbok/where-do-springbok-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/springbok/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The springbok is a medium-sized, fawn-and-white antelope of the arid grasslands of southern Africa, and the national animal of South Africa. Standing lightly built at around 1.5 m long and 30 to 50 kg, it is famous for pronking, a stiff-legged leap up to 2 m high. It grazes and browses on grasses, shrubs, and succulents, can sprint up to 88 km/h, and typically lives 10 to 12 years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## Pronking, the signature leap

The springbok takes its name from its habit of pronking, also called stotting: a series of stiff-legged, arch-backed bounds that can carry it up to 2 m off the ground. When it pronks, the animal fans out a fold of white skin along its back, flashing a crest of long white hairs. Biologists think pronking signals fitness to predators, effectively telling a lion or cheetah that this individual is too alert and fit to be worth chasing. It may also serve to alarm the herd and confuse an attacker.

## Help protect the Springbok

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/springbok/where-do-springbok-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.