The mountain gazelle, aka true gazelle or the Palestine mountain gazelle, hails from Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and Turkey. These gazelles face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and commercial developments; roads and railroads, that can result in habitat fragmentation and vehicle strike (being hit by vehicles); illegal hunting and trapping; and renewable energy, in the form of dams, that fragment their territories and cut off access to water. The IUCN lists these critters as Endangered. Their populations are also decreasing.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Gazella gazella
Weight: Up to 55.12 lbs.
Length: Up to 3.3 feet
Height: Up to 43 inches, at the shoulders
Lifespan: Up to 15 years
Now on to the Facts!
1.) There are only an estimated 6,000 wild individuals remaining, as of 2024.
2.) They are protected under Israeli law, with Israel being the last remaining major sanctuary of this species in the Levant.
3.) Both males and females have horns. However, the male’s horns are larger and the female’s are thinner and smoother.
4.) These gazelles are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk).
5.) Herds are small and consist of up to 8 individuals.
But wait, there’s more on the mountain gazelle!
6.) Mountain gazelles typically communicate vocally, via calls, that refer to alarms, courtship, and threats.
7.) Males mark their territory with dung middens (poop piles).
Did you know…?
Mountain gazelles can run at speeds of up to 50 MPH.
8.) Females undergo up to a 180 day gestation (pregnancy) that yields a single fawn.
9.) For up to 2 months, both the mother and her fawn will stay hidden out of the sight of predators.
10.) While they can go for a fair period of time without drinking standing water, obtaining most of their moisture from the foods they eat, they do need to drink.
But wait, there’s still more on the mountain gazelle!
11.) Grasses, low-hanging branches, young shoots, and shrubs are all on the menu.
12.) Arabian wolves, Anatolian and Arabian leopards, feral dogs, foxes, golden eagles, and golden jackals are their primary predators. However, humans are their worst threat.
Did you know…?
In the early 20th Century, unregulated hunting via firearms absolutely decimated the their populations. By 1948, the population of Israel and the Palestinian Territories was just approximately 500 individuals.
13.) 12 gastrointestinal helminth (parasitic worm) species and a coccidian protozoan have been found in fecal samples of these gazelles. The parasitic worm species included lungworms and nematodes.
14.) These gazelles underwent a series of size morphs during the late Pleistocene. Where they were the smallest during the early and middle Epipalaeolithic Near East, and reaching their largest size in the early Epipalaeolithic. Then they shrank slightly before stabilizing in size in the middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic.
15.) In the mid-1980s, an unfortunate outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the southern Golan Heights as well as Ramat Yissachar killed approximately 3,500 gazelles.
But wait, there’s still a tad more on the mountain gazelle!
16.) Mountain gazelles are hunted for food in certain portions of their range, even though hunting mountain gazelles became illegal in Israel in 1955. A 2019 estimate discovered that there are still likely up to 1,300 gazelles poached annually.
17.) Ongoing conservation efforts have included protecting existing populations and reestablishing their populations.
18.) 12 gazelles were released in Gazelle Valley, Jerusalem, where their population has rebounded from 3 to nearly 80 individuals in a .10 square mile fenced off portion of the park where they are protected from predators and vehicle collisions.
Now a Short Mountain Gazelle Video!
This video talks about gazelles in general.
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Some source material acquired from: Wikipedia & IUCN
Photo credit: Charles J. Sharp
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