25 Interesting Facts About Gazelles

1. Gazelles are hoofed mammals related to antelopes. They inhabit arid (desert, semi-desert, and waterless steppe) regions of Asia and Africa.
2. Gazelles are now present only in Asia and Africa, but were once also present in Europe. Gazella borbonica was the last gazelle species in Europe, which became extinct nearly 1.8 million years ago.
3. The maximum speed of gazelles is 50 mph (80 km/h), but can escape from the world’s fastest animal cheetah, with a top speed of 68 mph (110 km/h). Cheetahs can maintain their full speed for only 400 yards, while gazelles have this ability for 5 km (5,468 yards). Additionally, gazelles cheat their predators by changing directions quickly. (Source)
4. Gazelles are highly social animals. They live in large herds in areas with abundant food and relatively smaller ones in dry regions. They establish bachelor, female, and mixed herds according to their habitat and species. These groups are usually without any leader.
5. Gazelles generally mark their territories using urine and dung. However, males of four species (goitred, red-fronted, Speke’s, and Thomson’s) use a sticky black secretion from their preorbital glands (ahead of the eyes) for demarcations. Gazelles also have glands on the front of their forelegs, between the hooves, and in the groin area.
6. Gazelles can withstand the harsh climate of their native arid regions due to their specific features. Their light-colored coats reflect sunlight. They get water from food by feeding at night and early morning when plants have the most moisture, while their narrow jaws and teeth eat the most nutritious parts of plants. Gazelles extract excessive moisture from their urine and feces before excretion and may also use nasal panting to release heat.
7. Gazelles are herbivores that eat grass, leaves, herbs, shoots, and other plants. They prefer soft and easily digestible plants with a lot of moisture. Their feeding habits prevent overgrowth of several plant species in their habitats.
8. Goitered gazelles are the northernmost gazelle species. It is present in the steppe and semi-desert areas of the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, and China. Its name is after the enlarged larynxes of male gazelles that increase the intensity of their calls. 

   

   Goitered gazelles occupy the northernmost region of all species

   
   
9. There are 14 extant species of gazelles. Eight are exclusive to Africa, five are present only in Asia, while dorcas gazelles inhabit Asia and Africa both.
10. The 14 gazelle species were previously part of a single genus, Gazella. However, experts now place six African species into two separate genera. They are now part of genera Nanger (dama gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, and Soemmering’s gazelles) and Eudorcas (Mongalla gazelles, Thomson’s gazelles, and red-fronted gazelles) due to genetic differences.
11. Apart from the 14 known gazelle species, three antelope species of genus Procarpa are also called gazelles. These include Mongolian gazelles, Tibetan gazelles, and Przewalski’s gazelles.
12. Gazelles display a unique behavior of stiff-legged high jumps before running after seeing a predator. The reasons behind stotting (bouncing) are to alert other members of their herd, show their fitness, and warn the predator that they are aware of its presence and the element of surprise has gone.
13. Scientists discovered the oldest-known human fossils from Morocco in 2017. These 300,000-year-old fossils of Homo sapiens and other animals show that the favorite food of these oldest humans was gazelle meat. (Source)
14. Gazelles are medium to small-sized antelopes and become food for several carnivores in their habitat. Their top predators are cheetahs, lions, leopards, crocodiles, hyenas, African wild dogs, and gray wolves.
15. Research proves that sand gazelles in the deserts of Saudi Arabia can shrink their liver and heart during droughts. This adjustment reduces water loss to respiratory evaporation and enables them to tolerate long periods of drought.  (Source)
16. Gazelles are named after the Arabic word ghazal (a lyric love poem). These graceful animals were symbol of female beauty in ancient Arabic literature.
17. Like other antelope, gazelles have horns instead of antlers. However, only male antelopes have horns, while both male and female gazelles have them. Male gazelles have long and ridged horns, while horns in females are short and thin. Grant’s gazelles have the longest horns (up to 31 inches) among all species. Gazelles use horns as a defense against small predators.
18. Young males from bachelor herds are present on the boundary of an area populated by gazelles. Therefore, predators usually attack them first, and they face the biggest danger of any invader.
19. An Irish surgeon, Samuel Bigger, conducted the first-ever successful corneal transplant in a pet gazelle in 1837 in Egypt. He used the cornea of another wounded gazelle to treat the blindness caused by extensive corneal scarring. (Source)
20. Various gazelle species are either migratory or nomadic, depending on their habitat. They form mixed herds of both sexes during migration instead of separate bachelor and female herds.
21. Female gazelles give birth to one or two calves after a gestation period of nearly six months. After reproduction, the mother hides the calf in the grass for weeks to protect it from predators.  
22. Slender-horned gazelles are native to the Sahara desert. These gazelles are the palest among all species and have the widest hooves of all antelopes due to hot and sandy environment of their habitat.
23. Gazelles and ostriches have a mutually beneficial relationship. Both share a common feeding ground and assist each other in finding any predator. Ostriches are tall and have good eyesight, while gazelles have excellent senses of hearing and smell. Therefore, both these groups become alert after sensing the other is uncomfortable.
24. The numbers of various gazelle species are declining due to several threats they face. These include poaching, habitat destruction, climate change, and their accidents with cars.
25. The dama gazelle is the largest of all species. This African gazelle was once abundant from Mauritania to Sudan but is now endangered. Its most distinguishing feature is the coat color. Unlike other gazelles with a predominant tan color and white underparts, the dama gazelle has a white color on most parts of its body.