| Gazelle | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
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| Species | ||||||||||||
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G. bennettii - Indian G. cuvieri - Cuvier's G. dama - Dama G. dorcas - Dorcas G. gazella - Mountain G. granti - Grant's G. leptoceros - Rhim G. rufifrons - Red-fronted G. saudiya - Saudi G. leptoceros - Slender-horned G. soemmerringii - Soemmerring's G. spekei - Speke's G. subgutturosa - Goitered G. thomsonii - Thomson's |
A gazelle is an antelope of the genus Gazella. Gazelles are known as swift animals; they can reach speeds of up to 100 km/hour, and maintain speeds of 50 km/h for a long time. Gazelles are mostly found in the grasslands and savannas of Africa, but also in south-west Asia. They live in large herds and eat grass.
A stereotypical gazelle is Thomson's gazelle (Gazella thomsonii), which is around 60 to 90 cm 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. Tommy's, as they are familiarly called, exhibit a distinctive behaviour of stotting (that is 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 theory advanced by Amotz Zahavi in the study of animal communication and behaviour.