What Is The Animal On These Italian Stamps - Springbok?

I saw these today on a facebook page - and the animal looks just like a springbok from South Africa, if it is, why would they be on Italian stamps?



Just looked it up - Italian East Africa, hence the springbok - I'll leave the post for interests sake.

Drew

It't the use to be East Africa Colony of Italy. What you call a spingbok is a Grant's gazelle according to Scott.

A grants gazelle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant%27s_Gazelle ) is slightly larger and the horns are straighter - the springboks horns curve inwards - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springbok. Thanks timbres for the info from Scott

Yes, definitely NOT a springbok (which are not found that far north). The stamps are from what is now Somalia.
Info on Springboks, and a photo showing their beautiful inward curving horns:
http://www.wildlifesouthafrica.com/...pringbok.htm

They are found into Angola, but no farther north. For a distribution map, see:
http://www.wildlifesafari.info/springbok.html

And to see springboks springing (or "pronk", as they say in Afrikaans), here's a good video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5IJBbA6UkA

How long will it be before someone gets a functioning movie on a stamp?

Thanks David, I liked the info and video about spingboks.

I read that they apparently spring like that when a predator is approaching to tell them "Look at me I don't need to run at full speed to outrun you!"

Movies on stamps ? Im sure Bhutan will be first

I suppose you could say they already have been the first. Their CD-ROM "stamps" contain movies about Bhutanese life, their Royal Family, etc. Somebody has copied the movie files from the 2008 CD-ROM stamps and placed them on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGfm-ot5-Cw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwvBAyHI3HY

Ryan

One theory about springboks jumping is that it makes them seem bigger to predators (they are quite small, but wonderfully graceful). They can also change direction incredibly quickly, so bigger animals can get left behind.