| Mountain gazelle[1] | |
|---|---|
| Mountain gazelle (male) | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Antilopinae |
| Genus: | Gazella |
| Species: | G. gazella |
| Binomial name | |
| Gazella gazella (Pallas, 1766) |
|
The mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) is a species of gazelle that is widely but unevenly distributed across the Arabian Peninsula. It inhabits mountains, foothills and coastal plains. Its range coincides closely with that of the acacia trees that grow in these areas. It is mainly a grazing species, though this varies with food availability. It is less well adapted to hot, dry conditions than the Dorcas gazelle which appears to have replaced the Mountain Gazelle through some of its range during the late Holocene in a period of climatic warming. There are less than 15,000 mountain gazelles left within their natural range, more than 10,000 of these being of Arabian mountain gazelle subspecies, G. g. cora, less than 3,000 of Palestine mountain gazelles, G. g. gazella, less than 1,000 of G. g. farasani, less than 250 of G. g. muscatensis, and 19 of subspecies G. g. acaiae. Mountain gazelles can reach running speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph).[3]