The digestibility of organic matter (DOM) of material selected by cattle, Boer goats, Dorper and Merino sheep on natural Karoo pasture was investigated. A highly significant difference (P ≤ 0,01) in DOM selected between years, with an interclass (animal types) between years correlation of 0,88 (P ≤ 0,01) was recorded. A close relationship in pattern of DOM selection between years is evident. The difference In DOM selected by castrated male and dry female ewes was significant (P ≤ 0,05). However, this difference was not substantiated by a t-test between averages. Correlations ranging between r = 0,971 and r = 0,979 between sexes, within animal types, implies a close relationship for selected DOM. The difference in % DOM selected between Merino (58,57 ± 7,92) and Dorper sheep (57,76 ± 6,70) was not significant, but was higher than that selected by Boer goats (55,44 ± 6,47) (P ≤ 0,05) and by cattle (52,07 ± 7,98) (P ≤ 0,01). The value for Boer goats was also higher than that for cattle (P ≤ 0,01). A large discrepancy was established between the % DOM selected by the animals and the % DOM of material sampled by hand. It seems that the discrepancy between these two methods is larger on grazing with a divergent botanical composition. A substantial seasonal variation in the DOM content of selected material is illustrated. It seems that sheep and Boer goats are more proficient than cattle at selecting material with a sufficient DOM content at maintenance or exceeding it. Furthermore, a relationship between DOM selected and the active growth stage of pasture plants in the Karoo is suggested.