Definition: The term antelope refers to approximately 90 species of even-toed ungulates that belong to the family Bovidae. Most antelope are native to Africa, though some species are native to Asia. The term antelope does not correspond to a single taxonomic group. Instead a common term that is generally applied to bovine species that are neither sheep, cattle, nor goat. Within the family Bovidae, the following subgroups are typically referred to as antelope:
- Alcelaphinae (wildebeest, hartebeest, bonteboks)
- Antilopinae (gazelles, blackbucks, springboks, gerenuks, dibatags and Central Asian gazelles)
- Hippotraginae (roan antelope, sable antelope, bluebuck, oryx, addax)
- Reduncinae (waterbucks, redbucks)
- Cephalophinae (duiker)
- Bovinae (four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes)
- Peleinae (grey rhebok)
- Aepycerotinae (impala)
One species that is often mistaken as an antelope is the pronghorn. Pronghorn are deer-like mammals that have light-brown fur on their body, a white belly, a white rump, and black markings on their face and neck. Often, this species is incorreclty called a "pronghorn antelope" but the common name is simply "pronghorn". Pronghorns do not belong to the family Bovidae. Instead they belong to the family Antilocapridae.
