Gemsbok
The gemsbok (Oryx gazella), or South African oryx, is a large antelope in the genus Oryx. It is endemic to the dry and barren regions of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and (parts of) Zimbabwe, mainly inhabiting the Kalahari and Namib Deserts, areas in which it is supremely adapted for survival. Previously, some sources classified the related East African oryx, or beisa oryx (Oryx beisa), as a subspecies. == Name == The name gemsbok is from Afrikaans, which itself is from the Dutch word of the same spelling, meaning "male chamois", composed of gems ("chamois") + bok ("buck, male goat"). The Dutch gems is further from German Gämse ("chamois"). Although some superficial similarities in appearance (especially in the facial pattern) are noticed, the chamois and the oryx are not closely related. The usual pronunciation in English is . == Description == Gemsbok are light taupe to tan in color, with lighter patches toward the bottom rear of the rump. Their tails are long and black in color. A blackish stripe extends from the chin down the lower edge of the neck, through the juncture of the shoulder and leg along the lower flank of each side to the blackish section of…
Mapungubwe National Park
Musina Local Municipality, Botswana
+132 birds+30 mammals
Where the Limpopo River carves a boundary between nations, ancient sandstone cliffs rise in sculptured isolation above riverine woodland and […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNxai Pan National Park
Botswana
+83 birds+19 mammals
Where acacia woodland gives way to sweeping grasslands and stark salt pans, a landscape of raw African beauty unfolds across […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKhaudum National Park
Botswana
+57 birds+18 mammals
Where the Kalahari’s red dunes roll into dense mopane woodland and riverine thickets, a raw and unforgiving landscape rewards those […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMokala National Park
Siyancuma Local Municipality, South Africa
+123 birds+30 mammals
Where semi-arid savanna meets ancient granite outcrops, a 715-square-kilometre wilderness unfolds across the Northern Cape’s undulating terrain. Mokala’s landscape is […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMountain Zebra National Park
Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality, South Africa
+123 birds+30 mammals
Jagged sandstone peaks rise abruptly from the high interior plateau of the Eastern Cape, their weathered faces sculpted by millennia […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAugrabies Falls National Park
Kai !Garib Local Municipality, South Africa
+48 birds+14 mammals
Where granite gorges plunge 56 metres into churning white water, the Orange River has carved one of Africa’s most dramatic […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCamdeboo National Park
Camdeboo Local Municipality, South Africa
+124 birds+30 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through semi-arid plateaus, ancient dolerite formations rise like sentinels above the Sundays River valley. Sprawling across […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKhaudum National Park
Namibia
+46 birds+16 mammals
Where mopane woodland gives way to sudden waterhole clearings and ancient elephant paths cross calcrete plains, one of southern Africa’s […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSperrgebiet National Park
Barcelona, Namibia
+119 birds+30 mammals
Where the Namib Desert’s red dunes collide with the Atlantic’s cold embrace, over 56,000 square kilometers of raw wilderness unfolds […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKDorob National Park
Henties Bay, Namibia
+118 birds+30 mammals
Where the Skeleton Coast’s haunting dunes surrender to gravel plains and rocky outcrops, an extraordinary expanse of Namibian wilderness unfolds […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSkeleton Coast Park
Barcelona, Namibia
+28 birds+9 mammals
Where the Atlantic’s cold Benguela Current meets the Namib Desert’s endless dunes, one of Africa’s most haunting and biodiverse coastlines […]
VIEW OBSERVATION POINTNamib-Naukluft National Park
Namibia
+119 birds+30 mammals
Where rust-coloured dunes rise like frozen waves against an impossibly blue sky, Africa’s oldest desert unfolds across nearly 95,000 square […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKEtosha National Park
Namibia
+62 birds+30 mammals
Brilliant white salt pans stretch endlessly beneath Namibian skies, interrupted by scattered acacia woodlands and mopane scrubland that characterize this […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNamibRand Nature Reserve
Hammerstein, Namibia
+66 birds+30 mammals
Where rust-coloured dunes surrender to sculpted granite outcrops and vast plains stretch toward an endless horizon, one of southern Africa’s […]
VIEW NATURE RESERVEWaterberg Plateau National Park
Okambukonde, Namibia
+124 birds+31 mammals
Where ancient sandstone cliffs rise 200 metres above the surrounding bushveld, a fortress of geology creates one of southern Africa’s […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMakgadikgadi Pans National Park
Gucta, Botswana
+107 birds+22 mammals
Where salt-crusted flatlands stretch endlessly toward a shimmering horizon, one of Africa’s most extraordinary ecosystems awakens with the rains. The […]
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