Animal Fact Sheet
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 Slender-Horned
Gazelle
Gazella leptoceros
What does it look
like?
Perhaps taken from the Arabic word "ghazal" which means
"bright-eyed", slender-horned gazelles have big, dark
eyes and long ears. Their fifteen-inch long, ringed horns are slightly
curved, tapering to a point.
- A pale sandy color with faint flank stripes and white under
sides, slender-horned gazelles' faded coloration is excellent
camouflage against uninterrupted sand
- Splayed hooves increase foot surface for walking on deep, extensive
stretches of sand dunes
- These small gazelles measure up to 28 inches at the shoulder
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| Where
in the world?
While their former habitat was the sandy lowlands and dunes of the
Sahara desert of Egypt west to Algeria, slender-horned gazelles
are now extinct in the wild. In the United States, they exist in
captivity in many zoos throught the country.
What are some behaviors?
Slender-horns display the nervous vigilance typical of prey animals.
Their immediate defense is alertness and speed. They signal alarm
by a snort or flick of the tail, and the herd reaction is to withdraw
to a safe distance.
Their horns are used for display during courtship.
Courtship territorial "fighting" is highly ritualized,
usually settled by threats and intimidation rather than serious
injury.
What about offspring?
Mating takes place in the fall with a five month gestation period.
Young, often twins, are on their feet within minutes of being born.
In the wild, the young would lie out in shrubs or high grass while
the mother foraged in the open. Mothers call their young to nurse
with a snorting sound.
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What
does it eat?
Traveling in small bands in the wild, slender-horned gazelles eat
tender leaves and grasses. As a ruminant, gazelles swallow large,
unchewed amounts of hard-to-digest cellulose material during feeding,
then retires to a safe place to chew their cud and slowly digest.
In captivity, slender-horned gazelle eat alfalfa
hay, grain and mineral supplements. They can go long periods without
water, and conserve moisture and energy by resting during the hot
midday.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
In 1972, slender-horned gazelles were declared endangered by the
IUCN with only 10 known alive, and those in captivity. In 1981,
five of the world herd (numbering only 48) were relocated to The
Living Desert from the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
The Living Desert's cooperation in the captive
breeding program to save this critically endangered species has
been a huge success. Over the years, 41 have been born at The Living
Desert. Many have been relocated to other zoos to insure genetic
diversity.
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