| Goitered Gazelle | |
|---|---|
| Male at Korkeasaari Zoo. | |
| Female in Gobi Desert | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Antilopinae |
| Genus: | Gazella |
| Species: | G. subgutturosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Gazella subgutturosa (Güldenstädt, 1780) |
|
The Goitered, Black-tailed or Persian gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) is a gazelle found in the north part of Azerbaijan, in a large area of central Asia, including part of Iran and southern west Pakistan in the western end of the range, as well as the Gobi desert. The specific name means "full below the throat" and refers to the male having an enlargement of the neck and throat during the mating season.
The Goitered gazelle inhabits sands and gravel plains and limestone plateau. It runs at high speed, without the leaping, bounding gait seen in other gazelle species. Throughout much of their range, Goitered gazelles undergo seasonal migrations. Herds cover 10–30 km per day in the winter, with these distances being reduced to about 1–3 km in summer.
Large herds were also present in the Near East. Some 6,000 years ago, they were captured and killed with the help of desert kites.[1][2] Rock art found in Jordan suggests ritual slaughter.[1]