# Gazelle — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Eudorcas thomsonii (Barchell, 1833)*

> Gazelles are small swift antelopes of Africa and Asia; Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) of East Africa is Least Concern with roughly 500,000 individuals and is the cheetah's primary prey.

**IUCN status:** Least Concern (IUCN, 2016) — Thomson's gazelle  ·  **WARN range:** Kenya, Tanzania

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Weight | 12–26 kg (Thomson's gazelle) |
| Speed | Up to 80 km/h |
| Diet | Grazer — short grass |
| Horns | Both sexes carry horns |
| Population | ~500,000 Thomson's gazelles |
| CITES | Appendix II (Tanzania population) |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Artiodactyla
- **Family:** Bovidae
- **Subfamily:** Antilopinae
- **Species:** Eudorcas thomsonii (Burchell, 1833)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Thomson's gazelle Least Concern (IUCN, 2016). Dama gazelle Critically Endangered.
- **Population:** Roughly 500,000 Thomson's gazelles; dama gazelle fewer than 100 mature individuals
- **Trend:** Stable for Thomson's gazelle; decreasing for several Asian and Saharan species
- **Assessed:** 2016 (Thomson's gazelle)
- **CITES:** Appendix II (Tanzania population)

## Key facts: Gazelle
- Roughly 19 gazelle species exist across Africa and Asia.
- Thomson's gazelle is the cheetah's primary prey on East African plains.
- Gazelles reach speeds of 80 km/h — among the fastest antelopes.
- Thomson's gazelles perform stotting — stiff-legged bouncing — to signal fitness to predators.
- Grant's gazelle is larger and shares the same plains but browses more.
- Habitat loss and poaching threaten Asian gazelle species more than African ones.

## Gazelles of Africa and Asia
The term 'gazelle' covers roughly 19 species in the genera Gazella, Eudorcas, Nanger and Procapra. African gazelles include Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii), Grant's gazelle (Nanger granti), dama gazelle (Nanger dama — Critically Endangered) and springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) of southern Africa. Asian gazelles include the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) and the Critically Endangered Arabian sand gazelle.

Gazelles share a graceful build, large eyes, lyre-shaped horns in males and often a dark side stripe. They inhabit open grassland, steppe and desert edge — habitats where speed and vigilance are essential.

## Thomson's gazelle on the plains
Thomson's gazelle is the archetypal East African plains antelope. It weighs 12–26 kg — small enough for cheetahs to kill — and feeds on short grass too low for wildebeest and zebra.

Both sexes carry horns, though male horns are thicker. During the Great Migration, Thomson's gazelles follow wildebeest herds, benefiting from the larger animals' grazing that keeps grass short. They are extraordinarily fast and manoeuvrable, making them challenging prey even for cheetahs, which succeed in roughly half of hunts. Stotting — a stiff-legged bounce — may signal to predators that pursuit is futile.

## Predators and survival strategies
Cheetahs specialise in hunting Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, relying on acceleration rather than endurance. Lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs also take gazelles, particularly fawns and sick adults. Gazelles compensate for small size with speed, vigilance and herd behaviour — many eyes scanning for danger. Calving often occurs in synchronised bursts to overwhelm predators. Thomson's gazelles require daily access to water, limiting their range to areas within roughly 10 km of permanent sources.

## Conservation across species
Thomson's gazelle is Least Concern with roughly 500,000 individuals and a stable trend in Tanzania's Serengeti. However, the dama gazelle of the Sahara is Critically Endangered with fewer than 100 mature individuals. The Arabian sand gazelle and several Asian species face similar crises from hunting and habitat loss. African savanna gazelles benefit from protected areas and tourism revenue, but snaring and poaching reduce populations outside reserves. CITES Appendix II regulates trade in some populations. This guide focuses on Thomson's gazelle as the most searched African species; see species-specific assessments for dama and Arabian gazelles.

## Related WARN guides
Gazelles are lightweight antelope — read WARN's impala and wildebeest guides for fellow grazers, antelope page for family overview, and cheetah and lion pages for primary predators.

Thomson's gazelle migration companions appear in wildebeest guide context.

Saiga and scimitar-horned oryx show how quickly antelope populations can crash.

## What WARN does
WARN publishes this gazelle guide as free public education. Gazelles are indicators of savanna health — their abundance supports cheetahs, wild dogs and the entire predator community.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Gazelle
### How many gazelle species are there?
Roughly 19 species across Africa and Asia, in genera including Gazella, Eudorcas, Nanger and Procapra. Thomson's gazelle and Grant's gazelle are the best-known East African species.

### What is the difference between Thomson's and Grant's gazelle?
Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) is smaller (12–26 kg) and a grazer of short grass. Grant's gazelle (Nanger granti) is larger (35–80 kg), browses more, and can survive without daily water.

### Why do gazelles stot?
Stotting — stiff-legged bouncing while fleeing — may signal to predators that the gazelle is fit and pursuit is unlikely to succeed. It may also warn herd members or confuse attackers.

### Are gazelles endangered?
Thomson's gazelle is Least Concern with roughly 500,000 remaining. The dama gazelle of the Sahara is Critically Endangered with fewer than 100 mature individuals.

### What eats Thomson's gazelle?
Cheetahs are the primary specialist predator. Lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs also hunt gazelles, particularly fawns and weaker adults.

### How fast can a gazelle run?
Thomson's gazelles reach speeds of about 80 km/h over short distances, with rapid changes of direction that help them evade cheetahs and other predators.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Eudorcas thomsonii](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/8992/50188085)
- [IUCN Red List — Nanger dama (dama gazelle)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/8968/50188296)
- [CITES — Checklist of CITES Species](https://checklist.cites.org/)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/gazelle