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© Sedgwick County Zoo, credit: Julie Fritz

Slender-Horned Gazelle

Gazella leptoceros leptoceros

Physical Characteristics*

  • Slender-horned gazelles are the palest of all gazelles, having a sandy-fawn color. The horns are long and almost straight and are found in both in males and females. They have slightly enlarged hooves for walking on sand.
  • Size of average adult
    • height: 30 inches
    • weight: 60 pounds
    • horn length: 16 inches
  • Approximate life span is 14 years.

Diet

  • Wild: leaves and berries of desert plants

Behavior

  • Generally in groups of 10-30 females and young
  • Small groups of males and lone adult males
  • Lone adult males establish territories and temporary control over females that enter their territories
  • Reproduction:
    • seasonal - males establish territories in Dec. and Jan.; mating with groups of females that move through
    • gestation: 150-170 days
    • births in May or June; normally single offspring
    • sexual maturity in second breeding season

Environmental/Global

  • Habitat: true desert regions, only on soft sand
  • Distribution: Western Desert of Egypt
  • Numbers: on the verge of extinction
  • Status: Endangered
    • Excessive hunting by people (for sale of meat, horns)

*Note: Unless otherwise stated, this information is on gazelles in general.

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