Slender-horned Gazelle

Slender-horned gazelle roam long distances searching for grass, shrubs, and succulents in the desert. These gazelles can get the moisture they need from the dew on plants and the food they eat, but they will also drink water when it is available.

Like other ruminants, gazelles have a unique way of eating. They swallow their food without chewing it first, allowing them to quickly consume many different plants, even those that are tough to digest. After they've eaten, they find a safe place to relax, where they can bring some of the food back up to chew it better. This process is called "chewing the cud."

At the Zoo, gazelle eat specially formulated herbivore pellets, alfalfa, and assorted browse.

The species is found in only a few areas of its original range in the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. Its populations are highly fragmented and scattered in parts of Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and Egypt.

Slender-horned gazelle prefer dunes and sandy soils of desert habitats.

Lions and jackals prey on these gazelles.

Uncontrolled poaching and increased human activity in their habitat have caused populations to decline dramatically. Hunters can easily track herds using motorcycles and other vehicles, allowing access to previously isolated areas.

Slender-horned gazelles are perfectly built for living in the desert. They have a light brownish-yellow body with a dark stripe along their side and a black tail. Their light-colored fur helps them blend into the sandy environment, which is essential for staying safe from predators. They also have dark bands of fur that run from their eyes to their noses, which act like sunglasses and help reduce glare from the sun, allowing them to see better.

These gazelles have big, wide noses that help control their body temperature, cooling their blood through a system of blood vessels. Their ears are long and slim, and the males have impressive curved horns that can grow between 12 and 16 inches long, featuring a ringed pattern. Females have thinner horns that grow about 8 to 14 inches long with less texture. Additionally, these gazelles have broad hooves that spread out as they walk, making it easier for them to move on soft sand.

Slender-horned gazelles usually live in small herds, which can have two to five members, but sometimes larger herds of 15 to 25 can be seen. Each herd typically has one dominant male, several females, and their young. Young males often form their own groups, known as bachelor herds, until they are old enough to compete for females.

Breeding takes place in the fall when males become protective of their territory and fight for the chance to mate. After about five months of pregnancy, a female gazelle will give birth to one or two baby gazelles, called fawns. These fawns can stand and walk shortly after they are born but usually stay hidden in the bushes unless their mother comes to feed them.

As they grow older, they start to spend more time with the herd. Fawns are fully weaned, which means they stop drinking their mother’s milk, by around three months of age. Female gazelles become mature enough to breed at about six to nine months, while males take longer, maturing around 18 months.

Slender-horned gazelles are generally quiet, but they will signal alarm by snorting or flicking their tails. Mothers call their young to nurse with a snorting sound.

Slender-horned gazelles avoid the hottest time of the day by feeding at night or in the early morning. They spend most of the daylight hours resting in the shade.