Thomson's gazelle Facts
Thomson's gazelle Facts
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| Interesting Thomson's gazelle Facts: |
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| Thomson's gazelle is one of the smaller species of gazelles. Thomson's gazelle can reach 35 to 55 pounds of weight and 22 to 26 inches in the height at the shoulder. Males are larger than females. |
| Back side of the body of Thomson's gazelle is covered with tan or cinnamon colored fur. Belly is white in color. Black stripe runs along the lateral side of the body. |
| Thomson's gazelle has beautiful horns. Males have longer horns than females. They are ridged, positioned parallel and curved backward. Females have short and smooth horns. |
| Horns are used during territorial fights when males are trying to topple opponents. Winner takes the territory. |
| Thomson's gazelles live in herds. Larger herds are usually composed of females and their offspring. Males live in separate herds and they show territorial behavior. |
| Territory is marked with urine, dung and scent produced in a special gland. Secretion from the scent gland is deposited every day on a distance of 20 feet to mark the boundaries of territory. |
| Thomson's gazelles migrate toward the better sources of food and water during the dry season. During migration, they often mix with animals of other species, such as wildebeest, Grant's gazelle, zebra…. |
| Thomson's gazelles are herbivores (plant eaters). 90% of their diet consists of grass. Other than grass, Thomson's gazelle eats seeds and shrubs. |
| Thomson's gazelles drink small amount of water because they are able to extract moisture from the food they eats. |
| Thomson's gazelle has a lot of predators. Main predators of youngsters are: servals, jackals, pythons, baboons and eagles. Predators of adults are: lions, cheetahs, hunting dogs, leopards, hyenas. |
| Thomson's gazelle has excellent sense of smell, hearing and eyesight, which are used to detect predators on time. |
| When Thomson's gazelle is faced with danger, it can run 40 miles per hour. While running, Thomson's gazelle occasionally jumps in the air with all four feet above the ground. This technique is also known as "pronking" or "stotting" |
| Thomson's gazelle mates two times per year. Babies are born at the beginning of the rainy season. |
| Female gives birth to a single baby (or rarely twins) that will spend first couple of days or weeks hidden in the grass. After that period, mother and baby re-join the herd. |
| Thomson's gazelle lives 10 to 13 years in the wild and up to 15 years in captivity. |
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