This month Becky’s Squares are focusing on odd things – you can interpret this any way you want so I am going to take you all to the zoo this month. San Diego Zoo to be precise and the photos featured will be either odd looking animals, animals with odd names, odd facts or slightly odd photos. I hope you’ll enjoy my selection.
This type of dwarf antelope lives among rock formations in Africa called kopjes, (pronounced ko-pea), a Dutch word meaning “small head.” One the klipspringer’s most notable characteristics is its hooves. Its hooves are small, almost dainty giving it the appearance of standing on its tiptoes, their feet are specially adapted for traction on rocky surfaces, with a slight suction-cup effect.
Klipspringers communicate with whistles when alarmed. They stand still and erect for long periods of time, presumably watching out for predators. They use scent to communicate with outsiders, marking territory with dung piles and excretions from a preorbital gland, a dark, slit-like area beneath each eye.
If you want to join in either daily, weekly or just on the odd occasion then please visit Becky, the only rule is that the main photo MUST be a square – that is four equal sides! You have been warned 😉
TRAVEL WORDS 
I could do with feet like that for scrambling up a few rocky hills. Don’t think they’d suit me though. Happy Valentine’s Day, Jude! An outing?
Yes, those feet would definitely be handy for the coastal path here. No outing today, it’s windy, raining and half term!
Unlucky! Chocolate dessert? 🤣💟
Nope. We don’t do Valentines Day. Although twenty years ago he did send me a red rose to my workplace! I was so embarrassed 😊
🤣💟I knew you didn’t. We’re sitting on the waterfront at Santa Luzia. Plans went awry so I’ll do mince and Yorkshires later. Too much of the good life lately 🤭💟
They’ve definitely got a few odd features. Charming, though.
Very cute. Love the tippie-toes.
never heard of these. What a great name, and love that they whistle
Cool!
Exactly!
Klip is Dutch for ‘cliff’, so a klipspringer is a ‘cliff springer’ or ‘cliff jumper.’
That would make sense.
so cute!
Aren’t they? Never seen one in the wild.
Just seeing the name I guessed SA. They are cute little things.
Best wishes, Pete. x
They are sweet. I haven’t seen one in the wild, but then I didn’t spend a lot of time in the kopjes!
Aww!
Now here’s an animal I’ve heard of, but I didn’t know all those interesting facts.
Sweet little faces.
Cute antelopes but the name sounds as if it belongs to something else…some sort of fastener that you have to pry off to open, only to find that it suddenly springs off into the distance, hehe!