Western Africa | 1956 | 10 Francs | Gazelle

 

Leptoceros Gazelle




Gazelles are small, swift antelopes in the genera Gazella, Eudorcas, and Nanger, with related species in Procapra. They inhabit African deserts, grasslands, and savannas, as well as parts of Asia and the Indian subcontinent, living in herds and feeding on easily digestible vegetation. Standing 60–110 cm at the shoulder and generally fawn-colored, many species are threatened, with one extinct. Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii), a familiar African species, reaches 60–70 cm, has brown-and-white coloring with a black stripe, and males bear curved horns. Gazelles display stotting—high jumps while fleeing—when threatened by predators.




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