Scientific Classification

Common Name

slender-horned gazelle, rim, sand gazelle

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Artiodactyla

Family

Bovidae

Genus Species

Gazella (wild goat) leptoceros (slender horned)

Fast Facts

Description

This is the palest gazelle species with a cream or yellow-white colored body, pure white undersides, and a faint flank stripe. Both sexes have horns, and the hooves are somewhat broadened to ease travel on long stretches of sand.

Size

Approximately 65 to 72 cm (2.1 to 2.4 ft.) at the shoulder

Weight

20 to 30 kg (44 to 66 lbs.)

Diet

Includes acacia and bush leaves, grasses, and herbs

Incubation

Gestation lasts approximately 156 to 169 days; one offspring

Sexual Maturity

Male:  Approximately 18 months
Female:  Approximately 6 to 9 months

Life Span

Up to 14 years

Range

Central Sahara Desert

Habitat

Inhabits scrub and desert regions

Population

Global: Approximately 5,000

Status 

IUCN: Endangered
CITES: Appendix III
USFWS: Endangered

Fun Facts

1. Due to the extreme heat of its desert environment, the slender-horned gazelle is crepuscular, feeding mostly at night and early morning.
2. A normally quiet animal, gazelles signal alarm by a snort or flick of the tail, and the herd reacts by withdrawing to a safe distance. Mothers also call their young to nurse with a snorting sound.
3. Slender-horned gazelles rarely need to drink water. They are able to use the dew formed on leaves and the higher water content in the plants for their water needs.
4. To keep cool in the hot desert, they have a reflective white coat and specially adapted nasal passages, which help in cooling their blood.

Ecology and Conservation

The slender-horned gazelle was formerly found in Algeria, Mauritania, Egypt, and Sudan as far as the Nile River. It was once the most common of all the gazelles living in the Saharan deserts, but by the early 1970s it was in serious decline and its populations were scarce and isolated. Hunting for sport and meat was the major reason for their decline. In addition, its horns were formerly sold as ornaments in North African markets and shops.

Bibliography

Estes, R.D. The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 1993.

Gotch, A.F. Mammals-Their Latin Names Explained. Poole, U.K.: Blandford Press Btd., 1979.

Nowak, R. (ed.). Walkers Mammals of the World. Vol. II, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.

Parker, S.P. (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol 5. New York: McGraw Hill Pub. Co., 1990.

Spinage, C.A. The Natural History of Antelopes. New York: Facts on File Pub., 1986.

Stuart, C. and T. Field Guide to the Mammals of Southern Africa. Florida: Ralph Curtis Books Pub. 1988.

www.ultimateungulate.com/gazelleslhn.html