Fun Dorcas Gazelle Facts For Kids

Let us start an expedition to Africa and meet an alert and agile gazelle known as Dorcas gazelle. The species was discovered in 1758 by a Swedish zoologist named Carl Linnaeus. These small gazelles have longer limbs proportionately.

This highly social animal lives in herds that may include 100 individuals at a time. Their habitats range in the wild from the deserts and Savannah grasslands of Africa and Arabia. The males' horns are longer, and the uniqueness lies in the 25 lyre-shaped annular rings on them.

These gazelles' food includes herbaceous plants along with grasses. They meet the water requirement for the body from the moisture in the plants they feed on. Unfortunately, the populations of these gazelles are under threat from urbanization and illegal hunting that places them under Vulnerable conservation status.

If you find our fact-finding expedition to be very exciting, join us to discover more fun facts on Yorkshire terriers and caribou on Kidadl.

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Dorcas Gazelle Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Dorcas gazelle?

The Dorcas gazelle or the ariel gazelle is one of the smaller gazelles found in Africa and Arabia. The gazelles may be mistaken for deer, but they belong to the family of sheep and goats, although similar looking.

In symbolism, the gazelle stands for agility, alertness, and consciousness. These gazelles also represent grace under pressure. These gazelles belong to the genus Gazella. The genus Gazella currently has ten species under it and four extinct species. The red gazelle, the Queen of Sheba's gazelle, the Arabian gazelle, and the Saudi gazelle are extinct species.

What class of animal does a Dorcas gazelle belong to?

The Dorcas gazelle belong to the class Mammalia. The distinct feature of animals in this class is that the female has mammary glands, and the young ones born are nourished by the milk produced by their mothers. Other features are these animals being warm-blooded, a highly developed brain, and fur or hair on the body.

How many Dorcas gazelles are there in the world?

A particular study suggests 35,000–40,000 Dorcas gazelles in the wild.

The greatest threat faced by these gazelles is the rapid urbanization and competition for the grassland habitats with the goats and sheep population.

Where does a Dorcas gazelle live?

Dorcas gazelles live in arid and semi-arid habitats like savannah, deserts, steppes, and small dune fields. The larger population of these gazelle species is concentrated in Negev and Arava and Sudan, Egypt, Iraq, etc. Other parts of Africa where we can discover these African mammals from will be Morocco, Algeria, Chad, Sinai, Somalia, etc.

What is a Dorcas gazelle's habitat?

The Dorcas gazelle's habitat range includes tropical savannah and terrestrial biomes like Desert and Xeric shrubland. However, a higher population of the G. Dorcas species are found in the dune fields having a large concentration of Pancratium sickenbergeri, which is the most favorite food of Dorcas gazelles.

Who does a Dorcas gazelle live with?

The Gazella Dorcas is predominantly a social and herding animal. These African mammals live in family herds which consist of a single adult male, many females, and young ones.

However, when the weather conditions are unfavorable or harsh, these gazelles live in pairs. The breeding season brings out the territorial behavior in the adult males, who mark their territory range with dunghills.

The Ariel gazelles are nocturnal and terrestrial animals. These African mammals are primarily passive and exhibit polygyny, i.e., the males choose multiple female partners during mating.

How long does a Dorcas gazelle live?

The Dorcas gazelle, Gazella dorcas, is known to have a life span of 15 years in captivity. However, the life span of these gazelles in the wild is unknown.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season is from September to November. During this season, the males aggressively protect and mark their range of territory by placing dunghills. The gestation period lasts for six months, after which the females deliver the young fawn, which is well developed at birth.

The fawn is born with open eyes and fur. The young fawn attempts to stand within the first hour of birth and suckle on to milk from its mother.

The first two weeks of the fawn's life are spent lying curled up on the ground or bushes while the mother grazes nearby. After that, the fawn follows its mother's footsteps literally and starts consuming solid food. The young one is completely weaned at three months and becomes independent after that.

What is their conservation status?

The IUCN Red List categories the Gazella Dorcas are classified under the conservation status, Vulnerable. The populations of the Gazelles in the African continent are threatened by the habitat destruction caused due to urbanization and illegal hunting. Though they have protected status under Moroccan law, they are still hunted for their horns and pelts, which are in great demand.

Dorcas Gazelle Fun Facts

What does a Dorcas gazelle look like?

Their long pointy ears identify the Dorcas gazelles, and the unique curved horns are turning outward and inward and forward at tips. The color of the gazelles depends on the location they are found in.

The Saharan subspecies have pale and fawn-colored coats. The species closer to Palestine and the Red Sea have a reddish tint. They have a white underside outlined by brown stripes.

The head and face are a darker shade than the body. The horns of males are more extended than females measuring 6.6-7.5 in (17-19 cm).

How cute are they?

The longhorns with unique curves and their alert and agile frames give them a cute and innocent appearance. However, the soft expressions of their eyes are sure to catch the attention of the onlookers.

How do they communicate?

These gazelle species have different calls to communicate with one another. Their alarm call sounds like a short bark, but the calls get louder when there is extreme pain or danger. Their long growling sound signifies annoyance. The females have a low grunt sound to call their young ones.

They warn the other members of a predator's presence by stotting. The S=stotting is signified by skin shivering, bouncy leaps, and tail twitching with the head kept high.

How big is a Dorcas gazelle?

These gazelles can grow as much as 1.8 – 2.1 ft ( 55 – 65 cm). They are half the size of the largest gazelle, the dama gazelle, which stands as tall as 4.5 to 5.5 ft (137 to 168 cm).

How fast can a Dorcas gazelle run?

These Gazella Dorcas can reach a maximum speed of 50-60 mph (80 - 96 kph) when running. The sprint happens when they are escaping a predator or warning the herd of a presence of a potential threat. To escape the fastest predators like cheetahs, they run significantly faster with zig-zag movements to distract the predator.

There is no conclusive information on how far these gazelles can run but it is known that they sustain their maximum speed up to 15-20 minutes by keeping their brain temperatures at 104 F (40.5 C).

How much does Dorcas gazelle weigh?

These gazelle species weigh 33 – 44 lb ( 15 – 20 kg ), half as light as the Thomson's gazelle, which weigh a maximum of 64 lb (29 kg ).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male Dorcas gazelle is called a bull, and the female is called a cow.

What would you call a baby Dorcas gazelle?

The baby Dorcas gazelle is called a fawn or a calf.

What do they eat?

The Gazella Dorcas are herbivores and feed on leaves, flowers, and pods from the acacia trees. In the deserts of Negev, they eat Madonna lilies, scientifically called Pancratium sickenbergeri.

The nature of foraging differs from each season for these G. orcas. In summer, they dig holes in the sand and remove the stem and bulb of Pancratium sickenbergeri. In winter, they prefer freshly sprouted leaves.

Predators of Dorcas gazelles include lions, cheetahs, caracals, servals, wolves, and hyaenas. In addition, the young fawns are vulnerable to foxes, eagles, and jackals.

Are they poisonous?

Dorcas gazelles are harmless creatures unless they feel threatened. They are not known to have any poisonous qualities.

Would they make a good pet?

As these gazelles are wild animals, they are better left off in the wild. These gazelles can be raised in captivity in zoos where necessary arrangements for their survival are furnished. But domestication or gazelles as a pet in households is a strict no.

Did you know...

Gazella Dorcas are known to be the second smallest species of gazelle.

Gazelle Dorcas are known for their pelts and horns that are used for medicinal and decorative purposes in Morocco.

The Gazella Dorcas are the primary seed dispersers of the Acasia trees in the Red Sea and Isreal regions.

Are dorcas' gazelle endangered?

Dorcas gazelles are not endangered yet, but their population is decreasing. This is because the human-made hazards of urbanization are shrinking their habitat range, and hence these Gazelles are in a very vulnerable state right now.

How has the Dorcas gazelle adapted to the desert?

The Dorcas gazelle adaptations for desert living include their ability to live their entire life without drinking water. They meet their water requirements by the moisture present in the plants they consume. They may consume water whenever it is available in the deserts. Their populations can easily withstand the intensely high temperatures of the deserts.

The long limbs and lean body structure provide them with great agility, which is essential to stay out of reach of the predators. Furthermore, their body coloration provides them a convenient camouflage with their environment.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our takin facts and ferret facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable dorcas gazelle coloring pages.