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Gazelle
Thomson's Gazelle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Antilopinae
Genus: Gazella
Blainville, 1816
Species

Several, see text
This article is about the antelope species. For other uses, see Gazelle (disambiguation).

A gazelle (Arabic: غزال transliteration: ġazāl) is an antelope currently or formerly in the genus Gazella, although the three members of the genus Procapra are also widely referred to as gazelles. Two additional genera, Eudorcas and Nanger now include six species of gazelle that used to be considered members of the genus Gazella, when Eudorcas and Nanger were considered subgenera.

Gazelles are known as swift animals; they are able to reach high speeds (as high as 80 km/h1) 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.

Contents

Gallery

Grant's Gazelle

Mhorr Gazelle

Thomson's Gazelle

Goitered Gazelle

Chinkara

Dorcas Gazelle

Cuvier's Gazelle

Thomson's Gazelle

Species2

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

Prehistoric extinctions

References

  1. ^ The Twisted Mind Emporium: Weird Science: Fast Animals
  2. ^ "Antilopinae". Retrieved on 2008-07-01.
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