The tail is black above and white below. Females usually have a dark crown patch. Both sexes have tufts of long hair on the knees. Beneath the ears is a bare glandular area, which is usually dark and conspicuous. The ears are large, the legs are slender, and the tail is short and bushy.
Females have four mammae.
The oribi inhabits areas that are generally open but have a sufficient growth of vegetation for protection. It customarily shelters in tall grass and does not attempt to escape until an intruder is within a few meters. When flushed, it bounds along, leaping above the grass. When fleeing, it conspicuously displays the tail, which serves as a warning signal to conspecifics. It is active both day and night, lying in thickets during the heat of the day and emerging in the morning and evening to graze and browse.