Fun Facts About The Gazelle

The gazelle is a type of antelope that lives in both Asia and Africa. They closely resemble deer but come from the same family as sheep, cattle and goats. You can tell a gazelle by it s ringed curved horns, their white rumps and tan or reddish brown coats.

Habitat

There are 19 different species of gazelle and most live in the hot dry deserts and savannas of Asia and Africa. In order to maintain proper hydration in these harsh environment, the gazelle shrinks its liver and heart. Breathing can result in a loss of water and a smaller liver and heart means there is less of a requirement for oxygen, which means the gazelle needs to breathe less and loses less water in the process.

Habits

In order to escape predators, the gazelle relies on its speed and they are fast animals reaching speeds of 60 mph for short bursts and sustained speeds of 30 to 40 mph.. The gazelle uses a bounded leap whilst running which involves springing into the air with all four of their feet.

These are social animals with some herds numbering as many as 700 though some herds are small and divided by sex. Female Thomson gazelle’s live in herds of between 10 to 30 females with their young. Males in contrast live alone or in very small groups with other males.

Offspring

Mating season usually takes place during the rainy season so that newly born fawns will have lots of water to drink.

The gestation period is roughly six months and gazelles usually have one or two young at a time.

In order to keep their fawns safe from predators, females will hide their babies in the tall grass. Whilst young gazelles still nurse they remain with their mother’s herd. When they reach the age when they are ready to take care of themselves, male calves transition to the male herd. The lifespan of a gazelle is 10 to 12 years

Diet

Gazelles are herbivores. This means they are strictly vegetarian and subsist on shoots of plants, leaves and grasses. Some gazelles can go their whole lives without drinking any water.