Swayne's is the least desert-type of the three, and its snout the least elongate, with Gunther's the most elongate. The horns, on males only, are short, upright spikes. Females' horns are 10 to 20 percent larger than the males. Large facial glands are present and there is a distinctive shock of hair spiked up on the forehead. The eyes are large.
Coarse hair is a grizzled grey to brown with a reddish wash on the face.
Specializes in select vegetation, low fiber browse and graze. Common markers are sticks, grass stems and points on rocks. Both males and females also mark their territory with repeated use of dung piles. Males will usually deposit on top of the female's, right after she deposits. He squirts urine at the same time.