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Gazelle

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                 iGazelles
   Thomson's Gazelle
   Thomson's Gazelle
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Artiodactyla
   Family:  Bovidae
   Genus:   Gazella
            Blainville, 1816

                                   Species

   Several, see text

   A gazelle is an antelope of the genus Gazella. Gazelles are known as
   swift animals; they are able to reach high speeds for long periods of
   time. Gazelles are mostly found in the grasslands and savannas of
   Africa, but they are also found in southwest Asia. They tend to live in
   herds and will eat less coarse, easily digestible plants and leaves.

   The gazelle species are classified as part of the order Artiodactyla,
   family Bovidae and genus Gazella. Members of the Articodacycla order
   are principally distinguished by the foot; they have an even number of
   toes (The bovid family includes 49 genera and 59 species.) The taxonomy
   of the genus Gazella is a confused one, and the classification of
   species and subspecies has been an unsettled issue. Three species—the
   Red Gazelle, the Arabian Gazelle, and the Queen of Sheba's Gazelle—are
   extinct. All other gazelle species are listed as endangered, to varying
   degrees.

   A recognizable example of the gazelle is Thomson's Gazelle (Gazella
   thomsonii), which is around 60 to 90 cm in height at the shoulder and
   is coloured brown and white with a distinguishing black stripe (as in
   the picture on the right). The males have long, often curved, horns.
   Tommies, as they are familiarly called, exhibit a distinctive behaviour
   of stotting (running slowly and jumping high before fleeing) when they
   are threatened by predators such as lions or cheetahs. This is a
   primary piece of evidence for the handicap principle advanced by Amotz
   Zahavi in the study of animal communication and behaviour.

   Grant's Gazelle

                  Mhorr Gazelle

                                Thomson's Gazelle

                                                 Goitered Gazelle

   Chinkara

                  Dorcas Gazelle

Species

     * Chinkara, also known as Indian Gazelle, G. bennettii
     * Cuvier's Gazelle, G. cuvieri
     * Dama Gazelle, G. dama
     * Dorcas Gazelle, G. dorcas
     * Mountain Gazelle, G. gazella
     * Grant's Gazelle, G. granti
     * Rhim Gazelle, G. leptoceros
     * Red-fronted Gazelle, G. rufifrons
     * Saudi Gazelle, G. saudiya
     * Soemmerring's Gazelle, G. soemmerringii
     * Speke's Gazelle, G. spekei
     * Goitered Gazelle, G. subgutturosa
     * Thomson's Gazelle, G. thomsonii

Extinct

   Fossils of genus Gazella are found in Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits
   of Eurasia and Africa. The tiny Gazella borbonica is one of the
   earliest European gazelles, characterized by its small size and short
   legs. Gazelles disappeared from Europe at the start of Ice Age, but
   they survived in Africa and Middle East. Three species become extinct
   in recent times due to human causes:
     * Arabian Gazelle, G. arabica
     * Queen of Sheba's Gazelle, G. bilkis
     * Red Gazelle, G. rufina

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazelle"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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