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A gazelle is one of many
antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...
species in the
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; ''
Eudorcas ''Eudorcas'' is a genus of antelope; the species are commonly called gazelles. ''Eudorcas'' was originally considered a subgenus of the genus ''Gazella A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also sev ...
'' and ''
Nanger ''Nanger'' is a genus of antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small ...
'', which were formerly considered
subgenera In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...
of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ''
Procapra ''Procapra'' is a genus of Asian gazelles,Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2008. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed May 31, 2008 at http://animaldiversity.org including three living species: * ...
'', includes three living species of Asian gazelles. Gazelles are known as swift animals. Some can run at bursts as high as or run at a sustained speed of . Gazelles are found mostly in the deserts, grasslands, and
savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
s of
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, but they are also found in
southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
and
central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
and the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
. They tend to live in herds, and eat fine, easily digestible plants and leaves. Gazelles are relatively small antelopes, most standing high at the shoulder, and are generally fawn-colored. The gazelle genera are ''Gazella'', ''Eudorcas'', and ''Nanger''. The
taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...
of these genera is confused, and the classification of
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
and
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
has been an unsettled issue. Currently, the genus ''Gazella'' is widely considered to contain about 10 species. One species is extinct: the
Queen of Sheba's gazelle The Queen of Sheba's gazelle or Yemen gazelle (''Gazella bilkis'') is an extinct species of gazelle. It was sometimes regarded as a subspecies of the Arabian gazelle, which is no longer a valid species. It was found on the mountains and hillsides ...
. Most surviving gazelle species are considered
threatened A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...
to varying degrees. Closely related to the true gazelles are the Tibetan goa, and Mongolian gazelles (species of the genus ''Procapra''), the
blackbuck The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is a medium-sized antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the sh ...
of Asia, and the African
springbok The springbok or springbuck (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is an antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus (biology), genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first Species description, described by the Germa ...
. One widely familiar gazelle is the African species
Thomson's gazelle Thomson's gazelle (''Eudorcas thomsonii'') is one of the best known species of gazelles. It is named after explorer Joseph Thomson (explorer), Joseph Thomson and is sometimes referred to as a "tommie". It is considered by some to be a subspecies o ...
(''Eudorcas thomsonii''), sometimes referred to as a "tommie". It is around in shoulder height and is coloured brown and white with a distinguishing black stripe. The males have long, often curved, horns. Like many other prey species, tommies exhibit a distinctive behaviour of
stotting Stotting (also called pronking or pronging) is a behavior of quadrupeds, particularly gazelles, in which they spring into the air, lifting all four feet off the ground simultaneously. Usually, the legs are held in a relatively stiff position. Ma ...
(running and jumping high before fleeing) when they are threatened by predators such as
cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...
s,
lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
s,
African wild dog The African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus''), also called painted dog and Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus '' Lycaon'', which is disti ...
s,
crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...
s,
hyena Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...
s, and
leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...
s.


Etymology

''Gazelle'' is derived from
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
''gazelle'',
Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
''gazel'', probably via Old Spanish ''gacel'', probably from North African pronunciation of ', Maghrebi Arabic">Maghrebi Maghrebi Arabic, often known as ''ad-Dārija'' to differentiate it from Literary Arabic, is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb. It includes the Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, Libyan, Hassaniya and Saharan Arabic di ...
pronunciation '. To Europe it first came to Old Spanish and
Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
, and then around 1600 the word entered the English language. The Arab people traditionally hunted the gazelle. Later appreciated for its grace, however, it became a symbol most commonly associated in Arabic literature with human beauty. In many countries in northwestern
Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...
, the gazelle is commonly referred to as "dangelo", meaning "swift deer".


Species

The gazelles are divided into three genera and numerous species.


Prehistoric species

Fossils of genus ''Gazella'' are found in
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
,
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
deposits of Eurasia and Africa, which occupuied a broader distribution that modern members of the genus. The earliest members of the genus are known from the Middle Miocene of Africa, around 14 million years ago with members of the genus inhabiting Europe from the Late Miocene until their extinction in the region during the Early Pleistocene around 1.8 million years ago. * Genus ''Gazella'' ** '' Gazella borbonica'' - Early Pleistocene Europe ** '' Gazella capricornis'' - Miocene Asia ** '' Gazella harmonae'' -
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
, unusual spiral horns ** '' Gazella praethomsoni'' - Pliocene Africa ** '' Gazella negevensis'' - Early Miocene Asia ** '' Gazella thomasi'' - Thomas's gazelle ** '' Gazella vanhoepeni'' - Pliocene Africa * Subgenus '' Vetagazella'' ** '' Gazella altidens'' ** '' Gazella blacki'' - Pliocene Asia ** '' Gazella deperdita'' - Late Miocene Europe ** ''
Gazella dorcadoides A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; ''Eudorcas'' and ''Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ''P ...
'' - Middle Miocene Asia ** '' Gazella pilgrimi'' - Late Miocene Europe ** '' Gazella gaudryi'' - Middle Miocene Eurasia ** '' Gazella kueitensis'' - Pliocene Asia ** ''
Gazella lydekkeri ''Gazella lydekkeri'' is an extinct species of ''Gazella'' that lived during the Neogene period. Taxonomy ''Gazella padriensis'' is a junior synonym of ''G. lydekkeri''. Distribution ''Gazella lydekkeri'' lived in Pakistan Pakistan, ...
'' - Mid to Late Miocene Asia ** ''
Gazella paotehensis A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . There are also seven species included in two further genera; ''Eudorcas'' and ''Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A third former subgenus, ''P ...
'' - Middle Miocene Asia ** '' Gazella paragutturosa'' - Pleistocene Asia ** '' Gazella parasinensis'' - Pliocene Asia ** '' Gazella praegaudryi'' - Pleistocene Africa ** '' Gazella sinensis'' - Pliocene Asia ** '' Gazella brianus'' - Pliocene Asia * Subgenus ''Gazella'' ** '' Gazella janenschi'' - Pliocene Africa * Subgenus ''Trachelocele'' ** '' Gazella atlantica'' - Pleistocene Africa ** '' Gazella tingitana'' - Pleistocene Africa * Subgenus ''Deprezia'' ** ''
Gazella psolea ''Gazella psolea'' is an unusual prehistoric species of gazelle that lived in Africa and Arabia; it is only known from fossils. It makes up the subgenus ''Deprezia'' due to its unique skull morphology: it had a long premolar row, and its nasal ar ...
'' - Pliocene Africa


In culture


Symbolism

The gazelle, like the antelope to which it is related, is the
totem A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While the word ...
of many African families. Some examples include the
Joof family The Joof family is one of the old Senegambian royal families of Serer people, Serer ethnicity. The surname Joof, also spelt Juuf or ''Juf'' (in Serer language, Serer and Cangin languages, Cangin), ''Joof'' (Gambian English, English spelling in ...
of the
Senegambia region The Senegambia (other names: Senegambia region or Senegambian zone,Barry, Boubacar, ''Senegambia and the Atlantic Slave Trade'', (Editors: David Anderson, Carolyn Brown; trans. Ayi Kwei Armah; contributors: David Anderson, American Council of Le ...
, the Bagananoa of
Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...
in
Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...
(said to be descended from the BaHurutshe), and the Eraraka (or Erarak) clan of
Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
.Roscoe, John, ''The Northern Bantu: An Account of Some Central African Tribes of the Uganda Protectorate'', The University Press (1915), p. 262 As is common in many African societies, it is forbidden for the Joof or Eraraka to kill or touch the family totem.


Poetry

One of the traditional themes of Arabic love poetry involves comparing the gazelle with the beloved, and linguists theorize ''
ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...
'', the word for love poetry in Arabic, is related to the word for gazelle. It is related that the
Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
Abd al-Malik Abdul Malik () is an Arabic (Muslim or Christian) male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and ''Malik''. The name means "servant of the King", in the Christian instance 'King' meaning 'King ...
(646–705) freed a gazelle that he had captured because of her resemblance to his beloved: The theme is found in the ancient Hebrew
Song of Songs The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...
. (8:14)


Gallery

File:Grants Gazelle Gazella granti in Tanzania 2645 Nevit.jpg,
Grant's gazelle Grant's gazelle (''Nanger granti'') is a relatively large species of gazelle antelope, distributed from northern Tanzania to South Sudan and Ethiopia, and from the Kenyan coast to Lake Victoria. Its Swahili name is ''swala granti''. It was named ...
(male) File:Gazella dama mhorr 2.jpg, Mhorr gazelle File:Cuvier's Gazelle.jpg,
Cuvier's gazelle Cuvier's gazelle (''Gazella cuvieri'') is a species of gazelle native to Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Tunisia. It is also known as the edmi.
(female) File:Gazella thomsonii - Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Orlando, Florida, USA - 20100916.jpg,
Thomson's gazelle Thomson's gazelle (''Eudorcas thomsonii'') is one of the best known species of gazelles. It is named after explorer Joseph Thomson (explorer), Joseph Thomson and is sometimes referred to as a "tommie". It is considered by some to be a subspecies o ...
(male) File:Gazella spekei (Speke's Gazelle).jpg,
Speke's gazelle Speke's gazelle (''Gazella spekei'') is the smallest of the gazelle species. It is confined to the Horn of Africa, where it inhabits stony brush, grass steppes, and semi deserts. This species has been sometimes regarded as a subspecies of the Dor ...
(female) File:Group of Gazella subgutturosa.JPG,
Goitered gazelle The goitered gazelle (''Gazella subgutturosa'') or black-tailed gazelle is a gazelle native to Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, parts of Iraq and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and in nort ...
(females and young) File:Chinkara.jpg,
Chinkara The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to India, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Taxonomy The following six subspecies are considered valid: * Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii'') ...
(female) File:Gazella-dorcas.jpg,
Dorcas gazelle The dorcas gazelle (''Gazella dorcas''), also known as the ariel gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The dorcas gazelle stands about at the shoulder, with a head and body length of and a weight of . The numerous subspecies survive on veget ...
(female) File:Gazella rufifrons AB.jpg,
Red-fronted gazelle The red-fronted gazelle (''Eudorcas rufifrons'') is widely but unevenly distributed gazelle across the middle of Africa from Senegal to northeastern Ethiopia. It is mainly resident in the Sahel zone, a narrow cross-Africa band south of the Sahar ...
File:Gazella gazella.jpg,
Mountain gazelle The mountain gazelle (''Gazella gazella''), also called the true gazelle or the Palestine mountain gazelle, is a species of gazelle that is widely but unevenly distributed. Approximately 6,000 are left in the wild as of 2024. The mountain gazell ...
(male) File:GazellaSoemmerringiWolf.jpg,
Soemmerring's gazelle Soemmerring's gazelle (''Nanger soemmerringii''), also known as the Abyssinian mohr, is a gazelle species native to the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan). The species was first described and given its scientific ...
(females) File:Slender-horned gazelle (Cincinnati Zoo).jpg, Slender-horned gazelle (male) File:Granada Alhambra gazelle Poterie 9019.JPG, Gazelles on one of the
vases A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non-rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree species ...
made for the
Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...
palace


References


External links

* {{Authority control Mammals of Africa True antelopes Extant Pliocene first appearances Taxa named by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville