Damaliscus pygargus
Silhouette: [unknown] · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The bontebok is related to the common tsessebe. The bontebok is a tall, medium-sized antelope. They typically stand 0.8 to 1 m (2.6 to 3.3 ft) high at the shoulder and measure 1.2 to 1.6 m (3.9 to 5.2 ft) along the head and body. The tail can range from 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in). Body mass can vary from 50 to 68 kg (110 to 150 lb). Males are slightly larger and noticeably heavier than females. The bontebok is a chocolate brown colour, with a white underside and a white stripe from the forehead to the tip of the nose, although there is a brown stripe across the white near the eyes in most blesbok. The bontebok also has a distinctive white patch around its tail (hence the Latin name), while this patch is light brown/tan in the blesbok. The horns of the bontebok are lyre-shaped and clearly ringed. They are found in both sexes and can reach a length of half a metre... Wikipedia →
Uncertain1:12
South Africa · 2026
© JJSUN · XC1078357 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 6 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bontebok/Blesbok sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 31st most-seen of the 37 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bontebok/Blesbok in Etosha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–June, August, October and December–January, the lowest months. That is one of Etosha National Park's wettest months, with about 65 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bontebok/Blesbok sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Bontebok/Blesbok sightings, Etosha National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 80%), West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 70%) and Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Bovidae
The closest relatives of the Bontebok/Blesbok that you can see in Etosha National Park (family Bovidae, Bovids) are Springbok (about 80%), Blue Wildebeest (about 70%) and Impala (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bontebok/Blesbok is recorded against all the mammals logged in Etosha National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
