Order: Artiodactyla                                                                               Family: Bovidae                                   

Scientific name: Gazella soemmerringii                                             U.S. common name: Soemmerrings gazelle 

Status in the wild: Classified as vulnerable by IUCN.   

Major threats: Excessive hunting, excessive grazing by livestock, agricultural development, and habitat modifications.  

Geographic range currently: Eastern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia  

Habitat: Thorn bush and open, grassy plains in hilly country  

Circadian cycle: Most active early and late in the day  

 

Size

 

General range                       male                                       female                                                    birth

 

Head to rump length:                               1250-1500 mm               

Tail length:                                               180-230 mm                     

Head & tail length:                                  1430-1730 mm               

Shoulder height:                                      810-900 mm                     

Weight:                                                      38-46 kg                                                                                                                                             

Sexual dimorphism: Both sexes carry lyre-shaped horns but female’s horns tend to be smaller and more slender.                                                                                                                             

 

Reproduction

 

Mating Season: September to November peak, but breeding can occur throughout the year. 

Birthing season: March to May peak, but birth can occur throughout the year.  

Gestation period: 198 days  

Estrous cycle: 14-21 days, lasting ½ to1 day; there is usually a post partum estrus within a week or two of calving.  

Monestrus/polyestrus: Polyestrous  

Courtship: The male approaches and displays until the female urinates, then he urine tests. If she is in estrus, the male will follow the female in an erect

                    posture with his neck erect and head level. As the female becomes more receptive to the male’s advances, her efforts to escape lessen and so do

                    the male’s displays. The pair now walks in tandem, if the female stands still, the male resumes displaying until he gets the female moving again.  

Copulation: Copulation follows a series of preliminary mounts. The female carries her head and neck raised and either keeps moving or walk forward the

                      moment the male starts to mount. Standing upright, with bent forelegs dangling, the male follows bipedally and eventually achieves intromission,

                      without either clasping or resting on the female.  

Number of mammae: Two  

Sexual maturity: Females at about one and half years and males at about two years.  

         

 

Rearing and young

 

Young called: Calf  

Number of young (range): One  

Condition of young: Precocial  

Eyes open: At birth              

First leave pouch/den/hide/nest: Calves will hide up to 4 weeks.  

Weaned: At about 6 months  

 

General

 

 

Life expectancy: Up to 14 years.  

Social structure: Gregarious though herd size rarely exceeds 15 animals. These herds are often females and their offspring herded by an adult male on his

                              territory. Males are territorial and mark their territory with dung middens.   

Senses: Are visually oriented, relying less on smell and least on hearing.  

Coat & coloration: The coat is generally pale with extensive white on the rump. There are strongly marked facial blazes, and the undersides, insides of the

                                   legs and tail are white.  

Dental Formula: 0/3 I, 0/1 C, 3/2-3 PM, 3/3 M = 30-32 total.    

Diet: Primarily grass  

 

Sources

Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.) 1999.  Walker’s Mammals of the World Vol. 2 (6^th edition).  The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London.

Macdonald, David (ed.). 1987.  The Encyclopedia of Mammals.  Facts on File Publications, New York.

Estes, Richard D. 1991.  The Behavior Guide to African Mammals.  The University of California Press, Berkeley.

Kingdon, Jonathan 1997. The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals.   Academic Press, London.

Wagner, Denise C. Personal observation, San Diego Wild Animal Park.

The Ultimate Ungulate Page  www.ultimateungulate.com/gazellesoem.html  last updated 16 April, 2000. Brent Huffman 21 June, 2000.