Spece gazelle
| Spece gazelle | ||||||||||||
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Species gazelle at the San Diego Zoo |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Gazella spekei | ||||||||||||
| Blyth , 1863 |
The Spekegazelle ( Gazelle spekei ) is an African antelope named after the British explorer John Hanning Speke .
External features
It is a small, slender gazelle with beige-brown fur. An almost black stripe extends along the trunk, which is accompanied by a light stripe above it. The underside and the mirror are white, with the mirror framed in dark. The tail is 15 to 20 centimeters long. The horns show wide rings, are slightly S-shaped curved backwards and upwards and the tips are directed upwards. The horns of the bucks can be up to 30 centimeters long, while the females are much smaller. They have pre-eye glands with which they emit a fragrance. As a special feature, they have three skin folds on the bridge of the nose above the nostrils. The wearing time is about 180 days. Shoulder height: 50 to 60 cm. Weight: 15 to 25 kg. Length: 95 to 105 cm.
distribution
The specimen gazelle is largely restricted to Somalia, specifically to the south-eastern coastal plains on the Indian Ocean. The main distribution area is the Nugaal valley. Occasionally the animals also migrate over Ethiopian territory. The distribution area consists of stony semi-deserts, which are dominated by sparse succulents, aloes, shrubs and barren desert grass.
behavior
There they live in small groups of up to 20 animals, together or scattered, depending on the barren vegetation . You can inflate the aforementioned skin folds on the bridge of your nose to the size of a tennis ball. In the event of danger, the air is pressed out with pressure and a sound like a muffled pistol shot is created.
Danger
Since the specimen gazelle has hardly been researched in the wild, the information on the endangerment varies. The species is still relatively widespread in its former area, although the population has declined sharply in many places due to competition from grazing cattle and hunting. It is classified by the IUCN as endangered (highly endangered) because the distribution area is very limited and due to the political instability of the region there is no effectively protected area. However, there are breeding groups of the Spekegazelle in captivity.
literature
- Kingdon, Jonathan: The Kingdon Field Guide To African Mammals. ISBN 0-7136-6513-0 .
- Grzimek's animal life. Volume 13: Mammals 4
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Gazella spekei online
