Cuvier's Gazelle
Encyclopedia
Cuvier's Gazelle is a species of gazelle
found in Algeria
, Morocco
and Tunisia
. It is also known as the Edmi. It is one of the darkest species of gazelle in coloring, due to its partial woodland
habitat
. It is sometimes placed in a separate genus
, Trachelocele, from other gazelles, together with Goitered gazelle
s and Rhim Gazelle
s. It is very rare in wild with only 2000 individuals.
between 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long the male’s are more ribbed and have greater mass. Also they possess long, slender ears.
The purpose of the dark bands that run parallel along the side of the animal is to aid in counter shading, having ventral body pelage that is more lightly colored that the dorsal surface. This is thought to reduce the shadows produced by the animal’s body. With the sun shining downward on the animal this will cause an unequal distribution of light disrupting the pattern created by its silhouette. The darker colors compared to other gazelles could be explained by its shadier habitats.
for skins, meat, and trophies. In the 1930s it was already considered one of the rarest gazelles but didn’t enter the endangered species list until the 1960s. Even though it is now unlawful to hunt this animal they still suffer from habitat
stress due to local farmer
s destroying habitat for pastureland and competition from domestic
sheep
and goats.
Once thought to be extinct in the wild the gazelle’s population is now thought to be less than 2000 left in the world. Occupying small pockets of the Atlas Mountains
. Many of the animals can be found on protected land in Tunisia but this isn’t the case in Morocco and Algeria where many of the animals are still being outcompeted for food from livestock. One of the most important refugees is Djebel Chambi National Park
, which holds the largest population in Tunisia.
s. Also they occupy areas of regenerating forests and lush pine
forest
s. During the early parts of the morning and late parts of the evening they come out of the mountains to graze in the low grassland
s. Then in the afternoon they will travel back up the mountain into the forests and find a cool place to spend the day.
Their main defense is their alertness. When sensing something they don’t like they will set off an alert signal by flicking their tail and performing a strong gait, of jumping into the air and having all four hooves land on the ground at the same time. Along with their alertness they are also one of the fastest gazelles. Reaching and sustaining top speeds of over 50 mph.
period lasting around 160 days the gazelles tend to breed in the winter and give birth in the early spring. Before giving birth the mother will separate herself from the heard to go give birth and then hide the newborn in the thick underbrush outside the heard returning occasionally to nurse it. This occurs for the first month until the newborn begins to eat vegetation but still relining on nourishment from its mother.
The Cuvier’s Gazelle is one of the few gazelle species frequently giving births to twins (40.5%) with singlets weighing in at an average 2.99 kilograms (6.6 lb) and twins weighing in at an average 2.85 kilograms (6.3 lb). Ten days after giving births the females may breed again giving birth to two sets of offspring. New bourn females can become sexually mature as early as 27 weeks and can give birth to her first offspring as soon as 70 weeks of age.
The diet of a Cuvier’s Gazelle entirely contains leaves, grass
, and other vegetation. They will consume massive amounts of greenery and find a cool place during the day to finish chewing their cud
, a remnant of food that returns from the stomach to be chewed a second time for further digestion.
Gazelle
A gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus Gazella, or formerly considered to belong to it. Six species are included in two genera, Eudorcas and Nanger, which were formerly considered subgenera...
found in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. It is also known as the Edmi. It is one of the darkest species of gazelle in coloring, due to its partial woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
. It is sometimes placed in a separate genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Trachelocele, from other gazelles, together with Goitered gazelle
Goitered Gazelle
The Goitered, Black-tailed or Persian gazelle 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...
s and Rhim Gazelle
Rhim Gazelle
The rhim gazelle , also known as the slender-horned gazelle or sand gazelle, is a slender-horned gazelle, most adapted to desert life. There are fewer than 2500 in the wild.-Description:...
s. It is very rare in wild with only 2000 individuals.
Characteristics
The Cuvier’s Gazelle is one of the darkest and smallest of the gazelle species, standing between 60-69 cm tall and an average weight of 35 kilograms (77.2 lb). It is characterized by its distinctive wide and dark band that run along the sides of the animal, which separates the brown dorsal parts from the white ventral parts. While both sexes have hornsHorn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
between 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long the male’s are more ribbed and have greater mass. Also they possess long, slender ears.
The purpose of the dark bands that run parallel along the side of the animal is to aid in counter shading, having ventral body pelage that is more lightly colored that the dorsal surface. This is thought to reduce the shadows produced by the animal’s body. With the sun shining downward on the animal this will cause an unequal distribution of light disrupting the pattern created by its silhouette. The darker colors compared to other gazelles could be explained by its shadier habitats.
Status
Threats - The early reason for decline of the gazelle was due to overhuntingHunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
for skins, meat, and trophies. In the 1930s it was already considered one of the rarest gazelles but didn’t enter the endangered species list until the 1960s. Even though it is now unlawful to hunt this animal they still suffer from habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
stress due to local farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
s destroying habitat for pastureland and competition from domestic
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
and goats.
Once thought to be extinct in the wild the gazelle’s population is now thought to be less than 2000 left in the world. Occupying small pockets of the Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert...
. Many of the animals can be found on protected land in Tunisia but this isn’t the case in Morocco and Algeria where many of the animals are still being outcompeted for food from livestock. One of the most important refugees is Djebel Chambi National Park
Jebel ech Chambi
Jebel ech Chambi is the highest mountain in Tunisia at 1544m. It stands above the city of Kasserine in western central Tunisia and is covered by a pine forest....
, which holds the largest population in Tunisia.
Habitat
The Cuvier’s Gazelle inhabits the Atlas Mountains in Northwestern Africa. It is found in many different types of landscapes. The preference is for sandy or stony hills and plateauPlateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
s. Also they occupy areas of regenerating forests and lush pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s. During the early parts of the morning and late parts of the evening they come out of the mountains to graze in the low grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s. Then in the afternoon they will travel back up the mountain into the forests and find a cool place to spend the day.
Behavior
Cuvier’s Gazelle tend to live in social groups around 3-4 in population, during mating season, but usually not larger than 8 members. Groups tend to only contain one male and up to three females with up to two offspring. During the mating season the dominant males will force the younger males out of the social group where they will regroup to forum bachelor groups. Then the females will leave the group to go give birth. After giving birth she will be recovered into the group with the young batchelors and live out the rest of the season like this until next mating season.Their main defense is their alertness. When sensing something they don’t like they will set off an alert signal by flicking their tail and performing a strong gait, of jumping into the air and having all four hooves land on the ground at the same time. Along with their alertness they are also one of the fastest gazelles. Reaching and sustaining top speeds of over 50 mph.
Reproduction
With the gestationGestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period lasting around 160 days the gazelles tend to breed in the winter and give birth in the early spring. Before giving birth the mother will separate herself from the heard to go give birth and then hide the newborn in the thick underbrush outside the heard returning occasionally to nurse it. This occurs for the first month until the newborn begins to eat vegetation but still relining on nourishment from its mother.
The Cuvier’s Gazelle is one of the few gazelle species frequently giving births to twins (40.5%) with singlets weighing in at an average 2.99 kilograms (6.6 lb) and twins weighing in at an average 2.85 kilograms (6.3 lb). Ten days after giving births the females may breed again giving birth to two sets of offspring. New bourn females can become sexually mature as early as 27 weeks and can give birth to her first offspring as soon as 70 weeks of age.
The diet of a Cuvier’s Gazelle entirely contains leaves, grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
, and other vegetation. They will consume massive amounts of greenery and find a cool place during the day to finish chewing their cud
Cud
Cud is a portion of food that returns from a ruminant's stomach in the mouth to be chewed for the second time. More accurately, it is a bolus of semi-degraded food regurgitated from the reticulorumen of a ruminant. Cud is produced during the physical digestive process of rumination, or "chewing the...
, a remnant of food that returns from the stomach to be chewed a second time for further digestion.
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