Gazelle
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 Thomson's Gazelle
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Several, see text |
Gazelle is the common name for any of the various small, swift antelopes of Africa and Asia comprising the genus Gazella and the related genera Eudorcas and Nanger, characterized by a slender neck, long legs, and curved, lyre-shaped horns that are upturned at the ends and tend to be heavily ringed. The members of Eudorcas and Nanger used to be included within Gazella, when these were considered subgenera, and in some taxonomies the species remain in Gazella (ITIS 2006). While these are the "true gazelles," three closely related species, comprising the genus Procarpa, also are widely referred to as gazelles.
graceful
ver swift,
Overview and description
Gazelles are known as swift animals; they are able to reach high speeds (as high as 80 km/h[1]) for long periods of time. Gazelles are mostly found in the grasslands and savannas of Africa, but they are also found in southwest Asia. They tend to live in herds and will eat less coarse, easily digestible plants and leaves.
The gazelle species are classified as part of the order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae and genera Gazella, Eudorcas and Nager. Members of the Artiodactyla order are principally distinguished by the foot; they have an even number of toes (the bovid family comprises 6 genera and 12 species). The taxonomy of these genera is a confused one, and the classification of species and subspecies has been an unsettled issue. Three species—the Red Gazelle, the Arabian Gazelle, and the Queen of Sheba's Gazelle—are extinct. All other gazelle species are listed as endangered, to varying degrees.
A recognizable example of the gazelle is Thomson's Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii), which is around 60 to 90 cm (23 to 35 inches) in height at the shoulder and is coloured brown and white with a distinguishing black stripe (as in the picture on the right). The males have long, often curved, horns. Tommies, as they are familiarly called, exhibit a distinctive behaviour of stotting (running slowly and jumping high before fleeing) when they are threatened by predators such as lions or cheetahs. This is a primary piece of evidence for the handicap principle advanced by Amotz Zahavi in the study of animal communication and behaviour.
Gallery
Grant's Gazelle
Mhorr Gazelle
Thomson's Gazelle
Goitered Gazelle
Chinkara
Dorcas Gazelle
Cuvier's Gazelle
- Thompson's Gazelle.jpeg
Thomson's Gazelle
Species[2]
- Genus Gazella
- Subgenus Gazella
- Mountain Gazelle, G. gazella
- Neumann's Gazelle, G. erlangeri
- Speke's Gazelle, G. spekei
- Dorcas Gazelle, also known as Ariel Gazelle, G. dorcas
- Saudi Gazelle, G. saudiya
- Chinkara, also known as Indian Gazelle, G. bennettii
- Subgenus Trachelocele
- Cuvier's Gazelle, G. cuvieri
- Rhim Gazelle, G. leptoceros
- Goitered Gazelle, G. subgutturosa
- Subgenus Gazella
- Genus Eudorcas
- Thomson's Gazelle, E. thomsonii
- Red-fronted Gazelle, E. rufifrons
- Genus Nanger
- Dama Gazelle, N. dama
- Grant's Gazelle, N. granti
- Soemmerring's Gazelle, N. soemmerringii
Extinct
Fossils of genus Gazella are found in Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits of Eurasia and Africa. The tiny Gazella borbonica is one of the earliest European gazelles, characterized by its small size and short legs. Gazelles disappeared from Europe at the start of Ice Age, but they survived in Africa and Middle East. Three species become extinct in recent times due to human causes.
Recent extinctions
- Genus Gazella
- Subgenus Gazella
- Arabian Gazelle, G. arabica
- Queen of Sheba's Gazelle, G. bilkis
- Subgenus Gazella
- Genus Eudorcas
- Red Gazelle, E. rufina
Prehistoric extinctions
- Genus Gazella
- Gazella borbonica - European Gazelle
- Gazella thomasi' - Thomas's Gazelle
- Gazella praethomsoni
- Gazella negevensis
- Gazella triquetrucornis
- Gazella negevensis
- Gazella capricornis
- Gazella mytilinii
- Subgenus Vetagazella
- Gazella sinensis
- Gazella deperdita
- Gazella pilgrimi- Steppe Gazelle
- Gazella leile - Leile's Gazelle
- Gazella praegaudryi - Japanese Gazelle
- Gazella gaudryi
- Gazella paotehensis
- Gazella dorcadoides
- Gazella altidens
- Gazella mongolica - Mongolian Gazelle
- Gazella lydekkeri - Ice Age Gazelle
- Gazella blacki
- Gazella parasinensis
- Gazella kueitensis
- Gazella paragutturosa
- Subgenus Gazella
- Gazella janenschi
- Subgenus Trachelocele
- Gazella atlantica
- Gazella tingitana
- Subgenus Deprezia
- Gazella psolea
- Genus Nanger
- Nanger vanhoepeni
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ The Twisted Mind Emporium: Weird Science: Fast Animals
- ↑ Antilopinae. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=624969 Gazella Blainville, 1816 Taxonomic Serial No.: 624969
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