The African gazelle

gazelle

Animal world | mammals |  Gazelle is a genus of small antelopes, including some of the most beautiful of these animals, characterized by their lyrate horns. The majority of gazelles inhabit the sandy des­erts of North Africa, and all are of a yellowish color, with characteristic face marking. This consists of a dark triangle on the forehead, defined by two white streaks, which extend from the base of the horns to the nose, and are bordered externally by dark stripes. The horns of the gazelle are usually present in both sexes, are oval in section, and ringed throughout. Examples are the Dorcas Gazelle (G. zarcas), which is barely 24 inches high at the shoulder; the Arabian gazelle, G. arabica, occurring outside the African area; the Mohr gazelle, G. dama, of Morocco; and Soemmering's gazelle, G. soemmeringi, found in Abyssinia.