Springbok

Springbok (Afrikaans bok = antelope, deer, or goat), a small antelope (Antidorcas marsupialis) that stands about 75 cm high and can weigh up to 40 kg. It inhabits the dry inland areas of Southern Africa. It is the national animal of South Africa. It can run with a speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour).

It was also the national symbol of South Africa under white minority rule, being adopted by a number of South African sports teams to describe themselves, most famously by the national rugby team. It was also appeared on the emblems of the South African Air Force and the logo South African Airways, as well as the national coat of arms. After the demise of apartheid, the ANC government decreed that South African sporting teams were to be known as the Proteas. The rugby team still maintain the name Springboks, however, after the intervention of then president Nelson Mandela, who did so as a gesture of goodwill to the mainly white rugby supporters.