gazellemammal

any of the numerous antelopes of the genus Gazella, family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla). Graceful in build and small to medium in size, gazelles range in herds that usually contain about 5 to 10 individuals but may include up to several hundred.

Gazelles are found on open plains and semideserts from Mongolia westward to the Atlantic coast of North Africa and throughout eastern and central tropical Africa. Alert, attractive animals, gazelles stand from 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 feet) at the shoulder. They are generally some shade of brown with white underparts and rump, and many have a horizontal dark band running along each side. A light stripe runs down each side of the face from above the eye to the muzzle, often with a dark streak below it; the forehead and the centre of the face between the stripes are generally darker than the body colour. The horns are short to medium in length, with numerous raised rings; they may be spreading, lyre-shaped, or backwardly curved and are always slightly upturned at the ends. The horns of the females are smaller and more slender than those of the males. In one species, the Persian, or goitered, gazelle (G. subgutturosa), the female is virtually hornless. The Red Data Book lists Pelzeln’s gazelle (G. pelzelni) and the slender-horned gazelle (G. leptoceros) as critically endangered; a number of subspecies of other species are also considered endangered or seriously depleted in population.

There are about 12 species and more than 50 recognized forms of gazelles. Representatives include the following:

The Dama gazelle (G. dama) is the largest of all gazelles and inhabits North Africa. Its coat ranges from reddish brown with a white rump, underparts, and head in the western races, such as the critically endangered mhorr gazelle (G. dama mhorr), to white with reddish brown neck and shoulders in the eastern, red-necked gazelle (G. dama ruficollis). Its horns are bent sharply backward and then curve up and forward at the tips.

The Dorcas gazelle (G. dorcas) is a small North African species that is pale yellowish brown with a faint reddish brown stripe on each side. It has white and reddish brown stripes on its face, and its horns are ringed and lyre-shaped.

Grant’s gazelle (G. granti) is a large gazelle of East Africa. It is pale brown with a dark nose spot and a distinct white stripe running from each horn to its muzzle. Its horns are long, strong, and curved and are exceptionally wide-spreading in the subspecies Robert’s gazelle (G. granti robertsi).

The Persian, or goitered, gazelle can be found from Turkey eastward to Mongolia. It is brownish in colour and possesses an indistinct darker band on each side. As mentioned above, the female has rudimentary horns or none at all. The species is known as the goitered gazelle owing to the swelling of the male’s larynx during the breeding season.

The red-fronted gazelle (G. rufifrons) is found from Senegal in the west to The Sudan in the east. It is reddish brown and has sides marked by a narrow black streak bordered below by a narrow, reddish brown band. Its horns are strong and slightly curved.

Thomson’s gazelle (G. thomsoni), often called a Tommy, is the best-known and most common gazelle in East Africa. It is small, pale reddish brown in colour with a distinct black stripe along each side and has a black spot on its nose and white stripes on its face. Its horns are slightly curved.

Clark’s gazelle (Ammodorcas) is the dibatag (Waller’s gazelle (Litocranius) is the gerenuk.