Editing Springbok (section)

== Description ==
[[File:Springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis hofmeyri) juvenile head composite.jpg|thumb|Horn development in males<br />juvenile (left); sub-adult (right)]]

The springbok is a slender antelope with long legs and neck. Both sexes reach {{cvt|71|–|86|cm|in}} at the shoulder with a head-and-body length typically between {{cvt|120|and|150|cm}}.<ref name=Cain2004/> The weights for both sexes range between {{cvt|27|and|42|kg}}. The tail, {{cvt|14|to|28|cm}} long, ends in a short, black tuft.<ref name=Cain2004/><ref name=nowak>{{cite book|last1=Nowak|first1=R.M.|title=Walker's Mammals of the World|url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0002nowa|url-access=registration|date=1999|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore|isbn=978-0-8018-5789-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0002nowa/page/1202 1202–1203]|edition=6th}}</ref> Major differences in the size and weight of the subspecies are seen. A study tabulated average body measurements for the three subspecies. ''A. m. angolensis'' males stand {{cvt|84|cm|in}} tall at the shoulder, while females are {{cvt|81|cm|in}} tall. The males weigh around {{cvt|31|kg|lb}}, while the females weigh {{cvt|32|kg|lb}}. ''A. m. hofmeyri'' is the largest subspecies; males are nearly {{cvt|86|cm}} tall, and the notably shorter females are {{cvt|71|cm|in}} tall. The males, weighing {{cvt|42|kg|lb}}, are heavier than females, that weigh {{cvt|35|kg|lb}}. However, ''A. m. marsupialis'' is the smallest subspecies; males are {{cvt|75|cm|in}} tall and females {{cvt|72|cm|in}} tall. Average weight of males is {{cvt|31|kg|lb}}, while for females it is {{cvt|27|kg|lb}}.<ref name=Cain2004/> Another study showed a strong correlation between the availability of winter dietary protein and the body mass.<ref name=robinson>{{cite journal|last1=Robinson|first1=T.J.|title=Influence of a nutritional parameter on the size differences of the three springbok subspecies|journal=[[African Zoology|South African Journal of Zoology]]|year=1979|volume=14|issue=1|pages=13–15|doi=10.1080/02541858.1979.11447642}}</ref>

Dark stripes extend across the white face, from the corner of the eyes to the mouth. A dark patch marks the forehead. In juveniles, the stripes and the patch are light brown. The ears, narrow and pointed, measure {{cvt|15|–|19|cm|in}}. Typically light brown, the springbok has a dark reddish-brown band running horizontally from the upper foreleg to the edge of the buttocks, separating the dark back from the white underbelly. The tail (except the terminal black tuft), buttocks, the insides of the legs and the [[Rump (animal)|rump]] are all white. Two other varieties – pure black and pure white [[morph (zoology)|form]]s – are [[Artificial selection|artificially selected]] in some South African ranches.<ref name=kingdon/> Though born with a deep black sheen, adult black springbok are two shades of chocolate-brown and develop a white marking on the face as they mature. White springbok, as the name suggests, are predominantly white with a light tan stripe on the flanks.<ref name=Cain2004/><ref name=kingdon/>
{{Gallery
| title=The three springbok varieties
| width=160
| height=170
| align=right
|File:Normal_Springbok.svg| Typical springbok
|File:Black_Springbok.svg| Pure black springbok
|File:White_Springbok.svg| Pure white springbok
}}

The three subspecies also differ in their colour. ''A. m. angolensis'' has a brown to tawny coat, with thick, dark brown stripes on the face extending two-thirds down to the [[Muzzle (animal)|snout]]. While the lateral stripe is nearly black, the stripe on the rump is dark brown. The medium brown forehead patch extends to eye level and is separated from the bright white face by a dark brown border. A brown spot is seen on the nose. ''A. m. hofmeyri'' is a light fawn, with thin, dark brown face stripes. The stripes on the flanks are dark brown to black, and the posterior stripes are moderately brown. The forehead patch, dark brown or fawn, extends beyond the level of the eyes and mixes with the white of the face without any clear barriers. The nose may have a pale smudge. ''A. m. marsupialis'' is a rich chestnut brown, with thin, light face stripes. The stripe near the rump is well-marked, and that on the flanks is deep brown. The forehead is brown, fawn, or white, the patch not extending beyond the eyes and having no sharp boundaries. The nose is white or marked with brown.<ref name=groves/>

The skin along the middle of the [[dorsa]]l side is folded in, and covered with {{cvt|15|to|20|cm}} white hair erected by [[arrector pili muscle]]s (located between [[hair follicle]]s). This white hair is almost fully concealed by the surrounding brown hairs until the fold opens up, and this is a major feature distinguishing this antelope from gazelles.<ref name=Cain2004/> Springbok differ from gazelles in several other ways; for instance, springbok have two [[premolar]]s on both sides of either jaw, rather than the three observed in gazelles. This gives a total of 28 teeth in the springbok, rather than 32 of gazelles.<ref name="Cain2004">{{cite journal|last1=Cain III|first1=J.W.|last2=Krausman|first2=P.R.|last3=Germaine|first3=H.L.|title=''Antidorcas marsupialis''|journal=[[Mammalian Species]]|year=2004|volume=753|pages=1–7|doi=10.1644/753|s2cid=198127817|doi-access=free}} {{open access}}</ref> Other points of difference include a longer, broader, and rigid bridge to the nose and more muscular cheeks in springbok, and differences in the structure of the horns.<ref name=kingdon/>

Both sexes have black horns, about {{cvt|35|–|50|cm}} long, that are straight at the base and then curve backward. In ''A. m. marsupialis'', females have thinner horns than males; the horns of females are only 60 to 70% as long as those of males. Horns have a girth of {{cvt|71|–|83|mm|in}} at the base; this thins to {{cvt|56|–|65|mm|in}} towards the tip. In the other two subspecies, horns of both sexes are nearly similar. The [[Spoor (animal)|spoor]], narrow and sharp, is {{cvt|5.5|cm}} long.<ref name=Cain2004/>