Its legs or feet are white, as is its face blaze. Both sexes have horns which are ringed and slightly curved. Its closest relative, the blesbok, has similar colouration but lacks the purple gloss of the bontebok, while its white face blaze is divided by a narrow band reaching down between the eyes. The bontebok also has completely white socks on all four feet, while the outer areas of the blesbok's limbs are dark brown. In size, the bontebok is of medium height, with males reaching about 90 cm at the shoulders, and weighing about 61 kg.
Females are somewhat lighter and smaller.
Note the pure white face blaze. Distribution Bontebok have always been confined to the coastal plains of the southwestern Cape, and up until the 1800s, they were seen in the thousands as far east as Caledon. Hunting and habitat loss reduced this area, and they are now only to be found in protected areas. Habitat Bontebok prefer short grass plains in fynbos areas. Here, there are a number of grasses on which they can feed, as well as many small streams and rivers, which is an essential habitat requirement.