Gemsbok

A herd of Gemsbok numbers between 10 and 30. The females group together in interrelated herds with their young offspring, usually consisting of one dominant territorial male who joins the females for mating purposes. Young males form together into single sex bachelor herds until they are old enough to maintain their own territory and acquire a herd of females. Mature male gemsbok maintain a large territory, wherein they will gather 'harems' from the female groups that forage through it. The dominant male joins these groups, defending them from rival males and mating with receptive females. Gemsbok can mate year-round, and females in a herd are usually receptive around the same time. A gemsbok’s pregnancy lasts 8.5 months, after which a mother will give birth to one calf in solitude, away from the herd. The newborn will remain hidden in the bushland for the first 6 weeks. The calf will then rejoin the herd and begin to eat solid food, before weaning at 3.5 months-old and becoming independent around a month later. Calves reach sexual maturity at 2 years-old; the males leaving their natal herd to join an all-male bachelor group until they are old enough to maintain their own territory, usually from 5 years old onward, while the females remain with their mother’s herd.

A herd of Gemsbok numbers between 10 and 30. The females group together in interrelated herds with their young offspring, usually consisting of one dominant territorial male who joins the females for mating purposes. Young males form together into single sex bachelor herds until they are old enough to maintain their own territory and acquire a herd of females. Mature male gemsbok maintain a large territory, wherein they will gather 'harems' from the female groups that forage through it. The dominant male joins these groups, defending them from rival males and mating with receptive females. Gemsbok can mate year-round, and females in a herd are usually receptive around the same time. A gemsbok’s pregnancy lasts 8.5 months, after which a mother will give birth to one calf in solitude, away from the herd. The newborn will remain hidden in the bushland for the first 6 weeks. The calf will then rejoin the herd and begin to eat solid food, before weaning at 3.5 months-old and becoming independent around a month later. Calves reach sexual maturity at 2 years-old; the males leaving their natal herd to join an all-male bachelor group until they are old enough to maintain their own territory, usually from 5 years old onward, while the females remain with their mother’s herd.