Libya's Endangered Gazelle
Slender-horned Gazelle also known as North African Gazelle
Gazella leptoceros
Physical Characteristics
Palest of all gazelles; sandy-fawn color; horns long and almost straight in both males and females; slightly enlarged hooves for walking on sand
ORDER: Artiodactyla
FAMILY: Bovidae
GENUS: Gazella
SPECIES: leptoceros
Average adult:
height: 66 cm (26 inches)
weight: 27 kg (60 lbs)
horn length: 40 cm (16 inches)
Approximate life span: 14 years
Diet
Herbivorous: grazers or browsers ( prefers leaves and berries of desert plants)
Obtains most of its water from the plants it eats
Behavior
Generally found in groups of 10-30 females and young
Males may form small groups or roam alone
Lone adult males establish territories and temporary control over females that enter their territories
Reproduction:
seasonal - males establish territories in December and January, mating with groups of females that move through
gestation: 80 - 224 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: Deserts of Eastern Libya and Western Egypt
Numbers:
on the verge of extinction
Status:
ENDANGERED
primarily due to excessive hunting by people (for sale of meat and horns)
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