The scientific name of the oribi is Ourebia ourebi . The sole member of its genus , the oribi is placed under the family Bovidae . The species was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1782 . The oribi was formerly included in the tribe Neotragini , that comprised a variety of other dwarf antelopes , including Dorcatragus ( beira ) , Madoqua ( dik dik ) , Neotragus , Oreotragus ( klipspringer ) and Raphicerus . In 1963 , German mammalogist Theodor Haltenorth separated the oribi and Raphicerus into a new tribe , Raphicerini ; later on , zoologist Jonathan Kingdon assigned the oribi to Ourebini , a tribe of its own . The common name " oribi " ( pronounced / ˈȯrəbē / ) come from the Afrikaans name for the animal , oorbietjie .