Klipspringers are small, agile antelopes who have a yellowish-gray and brown coat, which helps them camouflage into their habitat. Adults measure 17 to 24 inches at the shoulder and weigh anywhere from 18 to 40 pounds.

Klipspringers have small heads, with brown foreheads, black around the eyes, and round ears with black and tan fur. Males have short, pointy horns that measure about 3-6 inches. 

The klipspringer is mostly found in southern and eastern Africa. They love rocky and mountainous terrain with little vegetation. Klipspringers live at high altitudes, with some being recorded at up to 15,000 feet!

More dense klipspringer populations occur on the eastern side of Africa, in countries like Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia. Less dense populations live in Nigeria, Congo, and the Central African Republic. 

Klipspringers are herbivores and eat a wide variety of plants and grasses. Most of their diet consists of seeds, succulents, flowers, vines, shrubs, and herbs. All of the plants they eat provide them with enough water, so they do not have to find any to drink.

Klipspringers are mostly nocturnal to avoid the hot temperatures during the day. They do their foraging early in the morning and late afternoon. When mates forage together, one does the browsing while the other plays lookout, so they can alert the other when there is a predator. 

Klipspringers are monogamous, meaning they usually only have one mate for their entire life. This pair creates a territory where they stay together and raise offspring. Once the female is pregnant, it takes about 6 months to have the young, where she has only one calf at a time.

While raising the young, the adults keep it hidden in the crevices of rocks away from danger. After a year, the calf leaves its mother and lives on its own. 

Klipspringer means “rock jumper” in Afrikaans. They get this name due to their specially adapted hooves that are cylindrical and downward-pointing. This allows them the ability to grip and effortlessly move amongst rocky surfaces. Also, they are able to jump 10 to 15 feet straight up in the air!

Klipspringers alert others of danger by sounding a piercing whistle through its nose, but when it feels like it’s in immediate danger, it will make roaring sounds with its mouth.