Geographic Range
Gazella dorcas
is found in the northern Ethiopian biogeographic region and the southwestern Palearctic
region. These gazelles inhabit parts of northern Africa, and the Sahara and Negev
deserts including: Morocco, Rio de Oro, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Somalia, Ethiopia
and parts of Israel and Sinai in the Middle East.
- Biogeographic Regions
- palearctic
- ethiopian
Habitat
Gazella dorcas
is the best equipped member of the genus
Gazella
to inhabit dry areas. They are found in a variety of habitats: savannahs, semi-deserts,
small sand dune fields, consolidated dune areas, and wadis, and are associated with
a number of different plant species. High densities of
G. dorcas
are found in sand dune fields with high concentrations of
Pancratium sickenbergeri
, a preferred food.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- desert or dune
- savanna or grassland
Physical Description
Gazella dorcas
varies in coloration, depending on the location. They are generally pale colored
and have a white underbelly with two brown stripes on either side. In the northern
Sahara they are an ochre color with darker flanking stripes. Near the Red Sea, they
are reddish-brown with less conspicuous, light flanking stripes. The head is darker
than the rest of the body. Their horns have the most pronounced curve of members of
Gazella
, and within the subspecies the amount of curve in the horn varies. Horns of males
are 250-280 mm long and have 20-24 rings. Female's horns are smaller (170-190 mm)
and straighter with 16-18 rings. Adult males average 16.5 kg, while the females are
about 12.6 kg, although average size varies among populations. They are the second
smallest
gazelle species
.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
- ornamentation
Reproduction
During the September to November mating season males will guard territory marked by
their droppings. Depending on local climate, a group of
G. dorcas
will consist of one or two males with a harem of females or just a male-female pair.
In extreme climates, where resources are scarce, they primarily associate in pairs.
- Mating System
- polygynous
In the wild, females will usually begin reproducing around age two. In captivity pregnancy
can happen as early as six months of age. About 90% of females in the wild became
pregnant. They give birth to only one offspring per pregnancy in almost all cases.
Pregnancy lasts around six months and the fawn is born with hair and open eyes. Young
spend the majority of their first two weeks curled up in the shade. Afterwards they
will follow the mother around looking for solid food. Males do not seem to participate
in the care of the young, except indirectly through resource defense for the group.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
Females nurse their young for one to two minutes several times a day for around 3
months. For the first two weeks of the young gazelle's life, the mother grazes and
sleeps away from the young gazelle, leaving it in a safe spot. As the young gazelle
grows, they join their natal group for the first year, or longer.
- Parental Investment
- precocial
-
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
-
protecting
- female
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
In captivity
Gazella dorcas
can live up to 15 years. Average lifespan in the wild is unknown and may vary by
population.
Behavior
Activity patterns are determined by the severity of the climate. In hot summers these
gazelles are mostly active at dawn and dusk. In milder temperatures they can be active
all day. They may also become nocturnal when under predation pressure from diurnal
predators.
Depending on the climate,
G. dorcas
can travel in pairs or larger groups consisting of one or two males with a harem
of up to four females and their young. Sometimes males will travel in bachelor groups
of four or five.
- Key Behaviors
- cursorial
- terricolous
- diurnal
- nocturnal
- crepuscular
- motile
- nomadic
- territorial
- social
- dominance hierarchies
Home Range
Home range of a male accompanied by a small group of females and young is about 25
square kilometers.
Communication and Perception
Gazelles have an alarm call which sounds like a short bark. They also use a louder
call made in cases of extreme danger or pain. Females have a low grunt to call the
young and all
G. dorcas
can produce a long growling sound that signals annoyance. When in danger from a predator,
"stotting", described in the predation section, is a common way to warn other gazelles
of the predators presence.
Food Habits
Gazella dorcas
individuals feed on the flowers, leaves, and pods of
Acacia
trees in many of the areas they inhabit. They also feed on fruits and leaves of a
variety of bushes. In the Negev Desert,
G. dorcas
feeds on Madonna lilies (
Pancratium sickenbergeri
). Depending on the season, methods for obtaining food change. In summer gazelles
dig holes in the sand to remove the stem and bulb of Madonna lilies. After winter
rains, gazelles eat freshly sprouted leaves. Foraging techniques permit maximum energy
intake with minimum energy output. Large amounts of feeding are done in small areas
with high concentrations of plant life followed by long moves to other feeding areas.
- Plant Foods
- leaves
- roots and tubers
- wood, bark, or stems
- seeds, grains, and nuts
- fruit
- flowers
Predation
Gazella dorcas
populations have many predators. Cheetahs, lions, servals, caracals, wolves, and
hyaena prey on all sizes and ages. Young can be killed by smaller predators, such
as foxes, eagles, and jackals. Many of these predators have been wiped out in areas
where gazelles are currently found. Humans, wolves and caracal continue to be major
predatory threats to these gazelles.
Gazella dorcas
relies chiefly on its keen eyesight to watch for predators. They have calls described
in the communication section that help alert others in a herd to the presence of a
predator. Skin shivering, tail twitching, and taking bouncing leaps with its head
high, also called stotting, are all used to warn others of the presence of a predator.
Ecosystem Roles
Gazella dorcas
, along with some other ungulates, make up the primary mode of seed dispersal for
a variety of plants in the
Acacia
genus between the Red Sea and Israel.
- Ecosystem Impact
- disperses seeds
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Gazella dorcas
is hunted as a food source.
- Positive Impacts
- food
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Gazella dorcas
is better adapted for the environment around Israel in the Negev desert than other
grazing animals. They outcompete other grazers such as sheep and goats that are used
for economic purposes.
Conservation Status
This species is considered threatened and in the past was classified as vulnerable
by the IUCN. The ongoing threats to this species are habitat destruction and illegal
hunting.
Other Comments
Gazella dorcas
individuals can go their entire lives without drinking water. They can get all the
water they need from the plants they eat. There is a high mortality rate among young
born in captivity because of inadequate resistance to infection.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.
Joshua Stoolman (author), Kalamazoo College, Ann Fraser (editor, instructor), Kalamazoo College.
- Palearctic
-
living in the northern part of the Old World. In otherwords, Europe and Asia and northern Africa.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Ethiopian
-
living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- desert or dunes
-
in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- sexual ornamentation
-
one of the sexes (usually males) has special physical structures used in courting the other sex or fighting the same sex. For example: antlers, elongated tails, special spurs.
- polygynous
-
having more than one female as a mate at one time
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- young precocial
-
young are relatively well-developed when born
- diurnal
-
- active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- crepuscular
-
active at dawn and dusk
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- nomadic
-
generally wanders from place to place, usually within a well-defined range.
- territorial
-
defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- dominance hierarchies
-
ranking system or pecking order among members of a long-term social group, where dominance status affects access to resources or mates
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- threatened
-
The term is used in the 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals to refer collectively to species categorized as Endangered (E), Vulnerable (V), Rare (R), Indeterminate (I), or Insufficiently Known (K) and in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals to refer collectively to species categorized as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), or Vulnerable (VU).
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- folivore
-
an animal that mainly eats leaves.
- frugivore
-
an animal that mainly eats fruit
- granivore
-
an animal that mainly eats seeds
References
Lawes, M., R. Nanni. 1993. The density, habitat use and social organisation of dorcas Gazelles ( Gazella dorcas ) in Makhtesh Ramon, Negev Desert, Israel. Journal of Arid Environments , 24: 177-196.
Ward, D., D. Saltz. 1994. Foraging at different spacial scales: dorcas gazelles foraging for lilies in the negev desert. Ecology , 75: 48-58.
Yom-Tov, Y., H. Mendelssohn, C. Groves. 1995. Gazella dorcas. Mammalian Species , 491: 1-6.