Thomson's gazelles photographed at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio
Thomson's gazelles photographed at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Thomson's Gazelle

Common Name:
Thomson's Gazelle
Scientific Name:
Eudorcas thomsonii
Type:
Mammals
Diet:
Herbivore
Group Name:
Herd
Average Life Span In The Wild:
10 to 12 years
Size:
Height at the shoulder: 20 to 43 inches
Weight:
26 to 165 pounds
IUCN Red List Status:
Near threatened
Current Population Trend:
Decreasing

Thomson's gazelles are medium-sized antelopes found in East Africa.

Herds

These grazing antelopes live in herds, which can consist of as few as ten or as many as several hundred animals. During the plentiful rainy season, thousands of animals can be seen gathering in large groups.

Life on the Open Plains

Gazelles typically frequent wide-open spaces and plains, where they browse on grasses, shoots, and leaves.

Open plains make them visible to predators like cheetahs or wild dogs, but gazelles are fleet of foot. The Thomson's gazelle can reach speeds of 40 miles an hour.

Some gazelle species eschew the grasslands for mountainous landscapes or even deserts. During the dry season some grassland gazelles will even take to the African bush in search of water.

Charactertistics

Gazelles are nimble and beautiful animals, with a variety of stripes and markings that accentuate their tan buff coats and white rumps. They also boast a impressive, ringed horns. These attributes make many gazelles attractive as game animals.

Reproduction

After a pregnancy of about six months, female gazelles give birth to one or two young and hide them in the plains grasses. These infants will remain out of sight for days or even weeks, being periodically nursed by their mother, until they are old enough to join the mother's herd, in the case of females, or a bachelor herd.

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