Dama Gazelle

Dama gazelles graze on shrubs, herbs, and coarse desert grasses. They often stand on their hind legs to eat from acacia trees and other plants as high as six feet off the ground. Since they live in drier areas, they mainly get their water from the plants they eat.

At the Zoo, these gazelles are fed a special herbivore pellet, along with alfalfa hay and different types of leaves and branches, known as browse.

Historically, these gazelles were once widespread across northern Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Nile River. However, their range has been drastically reduced to fragmented populations found in desert regions in parts of Chad, Mali, and Niger. 

Dama gazelles live in dry areas without much vegetation. They move seasonally from scrub land during the dry season to desert during the wet season.

Damas have many predators, including lions, jackals, hyenas, and cheetahs.

A key threat to the species is poaching and overhunting, driven by the high demand for their horns and meat. The already small populations are facing losing habitat due to increased grazing by domesticated livestock, human development, and wars in their current ranges.  

Dama gazelles have long, slender necks and lean legs. Their fur is mostly pale white with some reddish-brown coloring, especially on the neck and back, and this coloring can change based on where they live and their age. Both male and female gazelles have S-shaped horns. These horns start off pointing backward and then curve upwards, growing to about 17 inches long. Males typically have larger horns that have noticeable rings and smooth tips, while females have smaller, thinner horns with less distinct rings.

During the breeding season, male dama gazelles create and defend their territories fiercely. They often mark these areas with their urine or feces. To show off their strength and status, they use their horns to tear up grass. Males also gather females around them to keep them close, while chasing away other males that compete for the females.

In the wild, the mating season happens between August and October, but in human care, it can happen all year long. After about six months of pregnancy, a female gives birth to one baby gazelle, though twins can happen but are very rare. The young gazelles are weaned, or start eating solid food instead of milk, by the time they are five months old.

Body language is very important for how dama gazelles communicate with each other. Different postures can show whether a gazelle is feeling dominant or submissive. One of the most interesting examples of gazelle body language is called stotting, which is also known as pronking. This is when gazelles jump high into the air, keeping their legs straight and their backs arched. They usually do this before they run away from a predator. At first, scientists thought that when gazelles stotted, they were warning their herd about danger. While that idea might still be true, many researchers now believe that stotting might also be a way for gazelles to communicate with the predator itself.

In addition to body language, dama gazelles also communicate their territory using scent. They mark their area with their urine or feces to warn other animals to stay away.

Dama gazelles are social animals that usually live in groups or herds of five to ten. They move around with the seasons, going into the desert when it rains and back to bushland when it is dry. In the desert, they might join larger groups. Dama gazelles are diurnal, meaning they are more active during the day.