Gazelle

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. 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. 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 thomsoni), which is around 53 to 66 cm (21 to 26 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.

Species

Genus Gazella
Subgenus Gazella
Mountain Gazelle, G. gazella
Neumann's Gazelle, G. erlangeri
Speke's Gazelle, G. spekei
Dorcas 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
Genus Eudorcas
Thomson's Gazelle, E. thomsoni
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. Four species became 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''
Saudi Gazelle, ''G. saudiya''
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'
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''

Translation

The word "Gazelle" occurs as such in the following languages: English, Danish, French, Simple English.

Translation(s) in other languages: Arabic: غزال, Breton: Gazelenn, Catalan: Gasela, Czech: Gazela, German: Gazellen, Spanish: Gazella, Esperanto: Gazelo, Korean: 가젤, Italian: Gazella, Hebrew: צבי, Swahili: Swala, Latin: Gazella, Hungarian: Gazella, Dutch: Gazellen, Japanese: ガゼル属, Norwegian (Bokmål): Gaseller, Polish: Gazella, Portuguese: Gazela, Quechua: Misti luwichu, Russian: Газели, Finnish: Gasellit, Swedish: Gaseller, Thai: กาเซลล์, Turkish: Ceylan, Urdu: غزال, Yiddish: הערש, Zazaki: Ğezale, Chinese: 瞪羚属.