A bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) comes to a sudden halt to look at a theat at the Cleveland Zoo, one of the Cleveland Metroparks in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.

The bontebok is an antelope found in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of the Western Cape of South Africa. Once considered pests, by 1931 there was a wild population of just 17 animals. The species has since rebounded to 2,000 in the wild. However, they are widely farmed, and extremely common.

Bonteboks are about 31 to 39 inches high at the shoulder and 47 to 83 inches from snout to rump. They can weigh 110 to 342 lbs, with males are slightly larger and noticeably heavier than females. The horns are found in both sexes and can reach a length of 2 feet.

Bontebok live on coastal plains, where they eat grass. They form gender-specific herds of 10 animals, but these grow to mixed-gender herds of up to 40 animals during mating season. Bontebok are not good jumpers, but they are very good at crawling under things.

Bontebok live for about 17 years in the wild, but up to 23 years in captivity.

Mating occurs in February. A dominant male will herd together anywhere from 4 to 15 females and attempt to defend them from bachelors, who routinely invade his territory. The dominant male will try to chase off the bachelors at a canter, but there's little he can do given the large numbers of bachelors. Only occasionally does a dominant male engage in combat.