|
 |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
Thomson's gazelle - GAZELLA THOMSONI
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Gazelle": "Gazelle" comes from the Arabic word "ghazal."
Location: Eastern Africa.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Open plains and grasslands.
Description:The yellow-ochre of the back is interrupted on the flanks by a black band, below which begins the white of the underside. The eyes are rimmed with a white line, which then extends to the nose. The rear of the hindquarters is white, edged by a vertical black line. The tail is completely black. The horns are strongly ridged, curved backward, slightly divergent, and about 12 inches long. The female's horns are very smaII. This gazelle grows to almost four feet long, about two feet at the shoulder, and can weigh up to 60 pounds.
Behavior: The Thomson’s gazelle is the most common gazelle in East Africa. It is most active at dawn and sundown, preferring to rest in the hottest part of the day. It lives in herds of up to 60 females and young, with a single adult male - but the structure of these herds is loose and varies from hour to hour. It feeds on grass, and to a lesser extent on leaves and shoots. When alarmed, it has a characteristic leap called "stotting," in which it keeps all four legs and head stiff and it springs up and down in a wooden manner. Thomson's gazelle is relatively silent, and has well-developed senses of sight and smell. It is preyed on by most of the large carnivores.
Reproduction: Once or twice a year, after a 5 or 6 month gestation, a single young is born.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
Go to the Addra Gazelle for
the only other Gazelle listed in America Zoo.
From Address Labels to Zoo Toys... All Creatures Great and Small You'll Find It at the America Zoo Gift Shop Realistic Stuffed Animals & Animal Figurines Wildlife Decor for Your Home Animal Books, Magazines, and Educational Materials A Wide Variety of Wildlife Gifts & Apparel and Much, Much More  ↓ For Your Favorite Little Animal Lover ↓
Home Animal Research Library About AmericaZoo
|
