Gazelle
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A gazelle (Arabic: غزال ġazāl) is any of many antelope species currently or formerly in the genus Gazella. Six species are included in two genera (Eudorcas and Nanger) which were formerly considered subgenera. The genus Procapra has also been considered a subgenus of Gazella, and its members are also referred to as gazelles; however they are not dealt with in this article.
Gazelles are known as swift animals – some are able to maintain speeds as high as 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) for extended periods of time.[1] Gazelles are mostly found in the deserts, grasslands and savannas of Africa, but they are also found in southwest and central Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent. They tend to live in herds and will eat less coarse, easily digestible plants and leaves.
The gazelle species are classified in the Gazella, Eudorcas and Nager. The taxonomy of these genera is a confused one, and the classification of species and subspecies has been an unsettled issue. Currently, the genus Gazella is widely considered to contain about 13 species.[citation needed] Four further species are extinct – the Red Gazelle, the Arabian Gazelle, the Queen of Sheba's Gazelle and the Saudi Gazelle. Most surviving gazelle species are considered threatened to varying degrees.
One widely familiar gazelle is the African species Thomson's Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii), which is around 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 in) 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. Like many other prey species, 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.
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[edit] Gallery
[edit] 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
- 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
[edit] 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. Four species became extinct in recent times due to human causes.
[edit] Recent extinctions
- Genus Gazella
- Subgenus Gazella
- Arabian Gazelle, G. arabica
- Queen of Sheba's Gazelle, G. bilkis
- Saudi Gazelle, G. saudiya[3][4]
- Subgenus Gazella
- Genus Eudorcas
- Red Gazelle, E. rufina
[edit] Prehistoric extinctions
- Genus Gazella
- 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
- Subgenus Trachelocele
- Subgenus Deprezia
- Genus Nanger
[edit] References
- ^ The Twisted Mind Emporium: Weird Science: Fast Animals
- ^ "Antilopinae". http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Cetartiodactyla/Antilopinae.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ Participants at 4th International Conservation Workshop for the Threatened Fauna of Arabi 2003. Gazella saudiya. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 07 October 2006.
- ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group 2008. Gazella saudiya. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 18 December 2008.
- ^ The Twisted Mind Emporium: Weird Science: Fast Animals
- ^ "Antilopinae". http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Cetartiodactyla/Antilopinae.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
- ^ Participants at 4th International Conservation Workshop for the Threatened Fauna of Arabi 2003. Gazella saudiya. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 07 October 2006.
- ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group 2008. Gazella saudiya. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 18 December 2008.
