Mary Allen
Gazelles are a specific group of animals with horns. They live mainly in the savannas and deserts of Africa and Asia. In biology, gazelles are divided into four genera, which in turn are divided into over thirty species.
Gazelles are slender and have long legs. They are most comparable to our deer. They are about 80 to 170 centimeters long from head to bottom and about 50 to 110 centimeters high at the shoulders. A gazelle weighs between 12 and 85 kilograms. The fur is gray to brown on the back and white on the belly. Many gazelles have a black stripe between these two colors.
Only the males of the goitered gazelle have horns. In all other gazelle species, the females also have horns. They grow about thirty centimeters long. The tail is the same length or slightly shorter.
Gazelles live throughout Africa except on the island of Madagascar and from Arabia to India and northern China. They live in open grasslands, i.e. in savannas, semi-deserts, or even in deserts. They feed on grass and herbs.
The females and they’re young form small or large herds. Young males also form herds. As they get older, each male lives in his own territory and defends it against other males. It also wants to mate with any females that live in its territory.
Gazelles can hardly defend themselves, but they can run very fast. They maintain a speed of 50 kilometers per hour for a long time. That’s how fast a well-trained cyclist is on a racetrack. They also make long jumps. Their enemies are leopards, lions, and cheetahs, but also wolves, jackals, and hyenas as well as eagles. However, these enemies often only catch very young or then old or weakened gazelles.