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{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{Taxobox
{{Speciesbox
| name = Mountain gazelle<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Artiodactyla |id=14200571 |heading=Gazella gazella}}</ref>
| name = Mountain gazelle<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Artiodactyla |id=14200571 |heading=Gazella gazella}}</ref>
⚫
| status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{IUCN2011.1|assessors=IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group |year=2008 |id=8970|title=Gazella gazella|downloaded=22 August 2011}}</ref>
| trend = down
| image= Gazella gazella.jpg
| image= Gazella gazella.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = Mountain gazelle (male)
| image_caption = Mountain gazelle (male)
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| status = EN
⚫
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| phylum = [[Chordata]]
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group |date=2017 |title=''Gazella gazella'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T8989A50186574 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T8989A50186574.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref>
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
⚫
| taxon = Gazella gazella
| ordo = [[Artiodactyla]]
⚫
| authority = ([[Peter Simon Pallas|Pallas]], 1766)
| familia = [[Bovidae]]
| subfamilia = [[Antilopinae]]
| genus = ''[[Gazella]]''
| species = '''''G. gazella'''''
⚫
| binomial = ''Gazella gazella''
⚫
| binomial_authority = ([[Peter Simon Pallas|Pallas]], 1766)
}}
}}

The '''mountain gazelle''' (''Gazella gazella'') is a species of [[gazelle]] widely but unevenly distributed in [[Israel]], [[Turkey]] and across the [[Arabian Peninsula]]. It inhabits mountains, foothills, and coastal plains. Its range coincides closely with that of the [[acacia tree]]s 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.
The '''mountain gazelle''' ('''''Gazella gazella'''''), also called the '''true gazelle''' or the '''Palestine mountain gazelle''',<ref>{{cite book |last1=Castelló |first1=AvJosé |title=Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives |date=2016 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |page=129 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KVwzCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA129 |isbn=978-1400880652|access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mallon |first1=David |last2=Kingswood |first2=Steven |title=Antelopes: North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia |date=2001 |publisher=[[IUCN]] |isbn=2831705940 |page=8 & 100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uFo03Nd2oj8C&pg=PA100 |access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-04 |title=Palestine mountain gazelle now endangered, say scientists |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/palestine-mountain-gazelle-now-endangered-say-scientists |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> is a species of [[gazelle]] that is widely but unevenly distributed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kaitholil.com/travel/the-story-of-gazelles-in-jerusalem-and-what-i-want-for-them/|title=The story of gazelles in Jerusalem and what I want for them… – Kaitholil.com|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-01-11}}</ref>

Approximately 6,000 are left in the wild as of 2024.<ref name="Staff-2024">{{Cite news |last=Staff |first=TOI |date=8 April 2024 |title=Six-legged gazelle born with rare genetic defect spotted in Israel's south |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/six-legged-gazelle-born-with-rare-genetic-defect-spotted-in-israels-south/}}</ref><ref name="Yom-Tov-2021" /><ref name="SABAH-2021" /> The mountain gazelle is protected under Israeli law, with Israel being the last major sanctuary of the species in the Levant.<ref name="Staff-2024" />

⚫
[[Image:תמונה 1108.jpg|thumb|250px|Byzantine-era mosaic of gazelle in [[Caesarea Maritima]]]]

== Description ==
Both sexes of the mountain gazelle have horns. Males have significantly larger horns with rings around them. Females also have horns, but they are thinner, smoother and shorter. Along with the horns, mountain gazelle are also sexually dimorphic in size, with males being larger than females. A mature male can range from 17 to 29.5&nbsp;kg, while females are 16–25&nbsp;kg in weight.<ref name="Gazella gazella mountain gazelle">{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Kari|title=Gazella gazella mountain gazelle|url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Gazella_gazella/|website=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref> Mountain gazelle can reach running speeds of up to {{convert|80|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ADW>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=K.|title=Gazella gazella|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gazella_gazella.html|work=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=22 August 2011}}</ref>

==Population and range==
Mountain gazelle were historically distributed across the Levant. Currently they are most abundant in [[Israel]], and are also present in the [[West Bank]] in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], the [[Golan Heights]], and [[Turkey]].<ref name="Yom-Tov-2021" /><ref name="Çoğal-2017">{{Cite journal |last1=Çoğal |first1=Muhsin |last2=Sözen |first2=Mustafa |date=2017-02-07 |title=The status and distribution of Gazella gazella (Artiodactyla: Mammalia), and other mammals of the Hatay province in southern Turkey |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/ijee/63/2/article-p44_7.xml |journal=Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=44–49 |doi=10.1163/22244662-06301003 |issn=2224-4662}}</ref> Small, isolated populations are also found in parts of [[Jordan]],<ref name="Eid-2021">{{Cite journal |last1=Eid |first1=Ehab |last2=Mallon |first2=David |date=2021-08-27 |title=Wild ungulates in Jordan: past, present, and forthcoming opportunities |url=https://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/6811 |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |language=en |volume=13 |issue=9 |pages=19338–19351 |doi=10.11609/jott.6811.13.9.19338-19351 |issn=0974-7907|doi-access=free }}</ref> the [[Gaza Strip]],<ref name="Abd Rabou">Abd Rabou, A. N. (2019). The mammalian, reptilian and amphibian fauna of Al-Mawasi ecosystem, south-western Gaza Strip-Palestine. ''Agricultural Research & Technology: Open Access Journal'', ''23''(1), 00301-00314.</ref> and may be present (though unlikely) in [[Lebanon]], [[Egypt]], and [[Syria]] outside of the Golan Heights.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" />

The mountain gazelle is protected as an endangered species under Israeli law, with Israel described as "the last stronghold" of the species in the Levant.<ref name="Staff-2024" />

The most recent population estimates and locations by country are:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Country
!Population
!Details
|-
|Israel, Palestinian Territories and the Golan Heights
|5,000
|One population of around 3,000 gazelles inhabits the [[Naftali Mountains|Naftali]], [[Yavne'el|Yavniel]], Ramot Yissachar, and [[Mount Gilboa|Gilboa Mountains]]; the eastern [[Galilee]], and the [[Golan Heights]]. Another population of about 850 lives in the [[Judaean Mountains|Judean Hills]] and [[Jerusalem]] area. A series of smaller populations live across the Mediterranean region of Israel and the West Bank, as well as near the [[Dead Sea]].<ref name="Yom-Tov-2021" /> They have been occasionally seen in the Gaza Strip.<ref name="Abd Rabou" />
|-
|Jordan
|Present; number unknown
|A small number of mountain gazelles have been observed near the [[Yarmuk (river)|Yarmouk]] and [[Jordan River|Jordan Rivers]], though the population has been in decline for decades and the last confirmed sighting was in 2015.<ref name="Eid-2021" />
|-
|Turkey
|1,331
|Turkey's mountain gazelle population lives in the [[Kırıkhan]] district of the [[Hatay Province|Hatay]] province on the border with Syria. They have grown in number from 150 in 2009, to over 1,140 by 2020 and 1331 by 2023.<ref name="SABAH-2021">{{Cite web |last=SABAH |first=DAILY |date=2021-01-15 |title=Vulnerable mountain gazelle population continues to grow in southern Turkey's Hatay |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/vulnerable-mountain-gazelle-population-continues-to-grow-in-southern-turkeys-hatay/news |access-date=2023-08-02 |website=Daily Sabah |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Çoğal-2017" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Karaer |first1=Mina Cansu |last2=Sönmez |first2=Hande İrem |last3=Madak |first3=Elif |last4=Kankılıç |first4=Tolga |last5=Tavşanoğlu |first5=Çağatay |last6=Sarımehmetoğlu |first6=Hıfsı Oğuz |date=2024 |title=Helminths of captive and free-ranging populations of the mountain gazelle ( Gazella gazella ): Evidence from faecal examination |journal=Veterinary Medicine and Science |language=en |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=e1429 |doi=10.1002/vms3.1429 |pmid=38555575 |issn=2053-1095|pmc=10981916 }}</ref>
|}
=== Habitat ===
Gazelle have adapted to live in dry, arid conditions.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> A large amount of their moisture needs are obtained through the vegetation they consume, though they cannot go very long without water. They spend most of their time at the flat tops and crests of mountains, hills, and valleys. Adapting to an annual average temperature of 21–23&nbsp;°C, gazelles prefer to bed on breezy, elevated areas to avoid the heat of the day. Around dawn and dusk, these antelope will be found cautiously traversing the hills to eat in light forests, fields, or rocky plateaus.<ref name="Gazella gazella mountain gazelle"/>
Given their preference for elevation, it seems they are less adapted to hot, dry conditions than other ungulates, like the [[Dorcas gazelle]]; this diminutive antelope appears to have outcompeted the mountain gazelle throughout some of its range in the late [[Holocene]] era, during a period of climatic warming.

== Ecology ==
The mountain gazelle is a crepuscular species; they are awake most of the day and sleep most of the night, but generally are always active in the early morning hours and around sunset. They are also very territorial within their herds, and typically stay in groups of three to eight individuals. There are two main herd-types in the mountain gazelle community, namely mother/baby "maternity" herds and bachelor male herds; older, solitary males patrol and stake out territories, as well.<ref name="Gazella gazella mountain gazelle"/>

=== Survival and reproduction ===
In the wild, mountain gazelle rarely survive past the age of eight, but can live up to 15 years in captivity with adequate care. By 12 months, a female gazelle can begin breeding.<ref name="tandfonline.com">{{cite journal|last1=Baharav|first1=Dan|title=NOTES ON THE POPULATION STRUCTURE AND BIOMASS OF THE MOUNTAIN GAZELLE, GAZELLA GAZELLA GAZELLA|journal=Israel Journal of Zoology|volume=23|issue=1|pages=39–44|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00212210.1974.10688395|doi=10.1080/00212210.1974.10688395|date=January 1974|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024}}</ref> For males, 18 months is when they will start breeding.<ref name="Gazella gazella mountain gazelle"/> Being polygamous,<ref name="tandfonline.com"/> and not spending their lives with only one partner, the mountain gazelle typical breeding season is during the early winter months. Females will give birth to one offspring per year, mostly around the months of April and May.<ref name="Gazella gazella mountain gazelle"/> A few days prior to giving birth, the mother will leave her herd for a time, and live in solitude. Upon its birth, the newborn is especially vulnerable to predation. For up to two months, the mother and her offspring will stay by themselves, the mother keeping her baby well-hidden in vegetation while she forages. The baby will not typically accompany its mother to graze for several weeks, relying solely on camouflage and lying perfectly still to avoid detection by carnivores. Upon her return, the mother watches out diligently for threats. Some predators include golden eagles, feral dogs, foxes, golden jackals, Arabian wolves and, in some areas, Arabian and Anatolian leopards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella)|url=https://www.arkive.org/mountain-gazelle/gazella-gazella/|website=Wildscreen Arkive|access-date=2018-04-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501093122/https://www.arkive.org/mountain-gazelle/gazella-gazella/|archive-date=2018-05-01|url-status=dead}}</ref> While young males will stay with their mother for only six months before departing to a herd of young males, young females will sometimes join their mother in the females' herd.<ref name="Gazella gazella mountain gazelle"/>

=== Food ===
Grasses and shrubs are the gazelle's most frequent source of food, with grazing being their preferred method of foraging. They are known to browse on low-hanging branches and young shoots as well, especially when their range encompasses that of the acacia tree. They can survive for long periods of time without a water source. Instead, they acquire water from succulent plants and dew droplets.<ref name="Gazella gazella mountain gazelle"/>


==History==
==History==
The mountain gazelle underwent a series of size changes during the late Pleistocene, being smallest during the early and middle [[Epipalaeolithic]], and reaching their largest size in the early Late Epipalaeolithic. They then slightly shrunk before stabilizing in size, in the middle [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic]]. In the early and late [[Natufian culture|Natufian]], human impacts (such as hunting and living in more permanent settlements) may have driven gazelle numbers down enough so as to provide more food to each animal, thus increasing average body size. Later, the greater stability of food and water from [[agriculture]] and the avoidance of humans and livestock by gazelles may have similarly reduced population size and [[intraspecific competition]] for the gazelles and allow individual animals to grow larger on average.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Munro |first1=Natalie D. |last2=Lebenzon |first2=Roxanne |last3=Sapir-Hen |first3=Lidar |date=2022-08-31 |title=Revisiting Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) body size change in the southern Levant: A case for anthropogenic impact |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=17 |issue=8 |pages=e0273024 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0273024 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=9432756 |pmid=36044411|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022PLoSO..1773024M }}</ref>
In 1985, a large population of mountain gazelles built up through game conservation in two Israeli reserves, in the southern Golan Heights and Ramat Yissachar, was decimated by foot and mouth disease. To prevent such occurrences, a plan was drawn up to stabilize the female population at 1,000 in the Golan and 700 in Ramat Yissachar.<ref>[http://www.oie.int/doc/ged/D8383.PDF Mountain gazelle management in northern Israel in relation to wildlife disease control]</ref>


In the early 20th Century, unregulated hunting with firearms decimated the mountain gazelle population. By 1948, the population of Israel and the Palestinian Territories was approximately 500 individuals. With protection from Israel's [[Animal welfare and rights in Israel|1955 Wildlife Law]], the spread of agriculture, and the initial removal of predators, the population grew to approximately 10,000 individuals by the 1980s.<ref name="Yom-Tov-2021" /> In the mid-1980s, an outbreak of [[foot-and-mouth disease]] in the southern [[Golan Heights]] and Ramat Yissachar killed about 3,500 gazelles. Combined with the return of predators, poaching, vehicle accidents, and other causes, the population declined to approximately 3,000 by 2001.<ref name="Yom-Tov-2021" /> To prevent future outbreaks, a plan was drawn up to stabilize the female population at 1,000 in the Golan and 700 in Ramat Yissachar.<ref>[http://www.oie.int/doc/ged/D8383.PDF Mountain gazelle management in northern Israel in relation to wildlife disease control]. (PDF) . oie.int.</ref> As of 2020, Israel's [[Israel Nature and Parks Authority|Nature and Parks Authority]] and other researchers have recorded a slow recovery, with approximately 5,000 gazelles across the country.<ref name="Yom-Tov-2021" />
⚫
[[Image:תמונה 1108.jpg|thumb|250px|Byzantine-era mosaic of gazelle in [[Caesarea]], [[Israel]]]]


In April 2024, an Israeli mountain gazelle, with six legs (with polymelia disorder) was sighted along the Nahal Habesor riverbed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mountain gazelle |url=https://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/animals-en/mountain-gazelle |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=www.jerusalemzoo.org.il |language=he}}</ref>
==Distribution==
Less than 15,000 mountain gazelles are 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 up to {{convert|80|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ADW>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=K.|title=Gazella gazella|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gazella_gazella.html|work=Animal Diversity Web|accessdate=22 August 2011}}</ref>


== Threats and conservation ==
==Subspecies==
Mountain gazelles were hunted for food, however, in 1955 hunting mountain gazelles became illegal in Israel. A 2019 estimate found there are likely 300–1300 gazelles poached annually.<ref name="Yom-Tov-2021">{{Cite journal |last1=Yom-Tov |first1=Yoram |last2=Balaban |first2=Amir |last3=Hadad |first3=Ezra |last4=Weil |first4=Gilad |last5=Roll |first5=Uri |date=September 2021 |title=The plight of the Endangered mountain gazelle Gazella gazella |journal=Oryx |language=en |volume=55 |issue=5 |pages=771–778 |doi=10.1017/S003060531900108X |issn=0030-6053|doi-access=free }}</ref>
The ''' Israeli mountain gazelle''' - ''G. g. gazella''<ref>http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/8970/0</ref> - resides largely in three areas: the Golan Heights, [[Ramot Naftali]] and the [[Galilee]]. In the coastal plain, there is a small population of gazelles but the numbers are decreasing in the wake of accelerated [[urbanization]]. The population decreased greatly throughout its natural range in the first part of the 20th century due to poaching.<ref name=Kaplan2002>{{cite journal |last = Kaplan |first = D. |title = Langfristige Bestandsschwankungen der Edmigazelle (''Gazella gazella gazella'') in Nordisrael |journal = Zeitschrift für Jagdwissenschaft |volume = 48
|issue = Supplement 1 |pages = 167–171 |publisher = Springer Berlin / Heidelberg |date = December 2002 |doi = 10.1007/BF02192405 |accessdate = }}</ref> but increased thereafter thanks to conservation efforts.<ref name=Kaplan2002 />


As the mountain gazelle's habitat has become a more urban area of the world, there are numerous threats that to the population. [[Habitat destruction]], [[habitat fragmentation]], and collisions with cars are all anthropogenic threats to the gazelles.<ref name="Yom-Tov-2021" /> In areas with high human disturbance, gazelles tend to face predation from [[Free-ranging dog|feral dogs]] causing the population [[Recruitment (biology)|recruitment]] rate to be low. [[Golden jackal]]s are a historic predator of the gazelles, and a study of golden jackal diets in Park Britannia, central Israel found ungulates made up 70% of the jackal's diet, of which 14% of the ungulate biomass was gazelle.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Borkowski |first1=Jakub |last2=Zalewski |first2=Andrzej |last3=Manor |first3=Regev |date=April 2011 |title=Diet Composition of Golden Jackals in Israel |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.5735/086.048.0203 |journal=Annales Zoologici Fennici |language=en |volume=48 |issue=2 |pages=108–118 |doi=10.5735/086.048.0203 |issn=0003-455X}}</ref> Gazelles may also be more susceptible to predation from golden jackals and wild boar in areas where cattle grazing is used to reduce fire risk.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Shamoon |first1=Hila |last2=Dayan |first2=Tamar |last3=Saltz |first3=David |date=November 2017 |title=Cattle grazing effects on mountain gazelles in Mediterranean natural landscapes: Indirect Grazing Effects on Gazelles |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.21323 |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |language=en |volume=81 |issue=8 |pages=1351–1362 |doi=10.1002/jwmg.21323}}</ref>
The '''Arava gazelle''' - ''G. g. acaiae'' - is in critical danger, with only 19 (counting made in 2007 of 17 plus two newborns) gazelles in a closed nature reserve near [[Yotvata]], Israel.


Ongoing conservation efforts including protecting existing populations and reestablishing gazelle populations. In 2008, the Supreme Court of Israel overturned the approval of a housing development in critical habitat where ''Gazella gazella gazella'' were listed as a petitioner on the supreme court case.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Adam |first1=Rachelle |year=2016 |title=Finding Safe Passage through a Wave of Extinctions: Israel's Endangered Mountain Gazelle |journal=Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=136–158 |doi=10.1080/13880292.2016.1167472 |s2cid=87840827}}</ref> Additional research on the mountain gazelle and its close relatives the [[Dorcas gazelle]] and [[Arabian gazelle|acacia gazelle]] are allowing for forensic identification of the gazelles to aide wildlife forensic scientists and law enforcement to enforce wildlife protection laws.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hadas |first1=L. |last2=Hermon |first2=D. |last3=Bar-Gal |first3=G. K. |year=2016 |title=Before they are gone - improving gazelle protection using wildlife forensic genetics |journal=Forensic Science International. Genetics |volume=24 |pages=51–54 |doi=10.1016/j.fsigen.2016.05.018 |pmid=27294679}}</ref> Twelve mountain gazelles were released in [[Gazelle Valley|Gazelle valley]], Jerusalem where the population has rebounded from three to about 80 individuals in a 25 hectare fenced off portion of the park where they are protected from predators and car collisions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Matthieussent |first=Delphine |title=Endangered gazelles spring back in Jerusalem park |url=https://phys.org/news/2021-11-endangered-gazelles-jerusalem.html |access-date=2023-03-14 |website=phys.org |language=en}}</ref>
The '''Merrill gazelle''' - ''G. g. merrilli'' - lives in the mountains near [[Jerusalem]].


The West Bank Segregation Wall, which was built by Israel between 2000 and 2005, poses a great ecological conundrum at it separates populations of many indigenous species on both sides. The Mountain Gazelle is one of these.<ref name="Yom-Tov-2021" />
The '''Hatay mountain gazelle''' is the subspecie which lives the northest. They live in Syrian border of Turkey in [[Hatay Province]]. <ref>http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/turkey-gazella.html#cr</ref>


==See also==
==Subspecies==
Historically, some others such as the [[Cuvier's gazelle]] (''G. cuvieri'') were included as a subspecies,<ref>[http://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Gazella_gazella.html ADW: Gazella gazella: INFORMATION]. Animaldiversity.org. Retrieved on 2015-09-25.</ref> but recent authorities consistently treat them as separate species.<ref name="iucn-Gcuvieri">{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group |date=2016 |title=''Gazella cuvieri'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T8967A50186003 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T8967A50186003.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref>
*[[Wildlife of Israel]]
*[[Gazelle Valley]]


== References ==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
==External links==
{{Commons|Gazella gazella}}
{{Commons|Gazella gazella}}
{{Wikispecies|Gazella gazella}}
{{Wikispecies|Gazella gazella}}
*[http://www.mammalwatching.com/Palearctic/palearctisrael.html Mammal watching in Israel]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060517060334/http://mammalwatching.com/Palearctic/palearctisrael.html Mammal watching in Israel]
* [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Gazella_gazella/ Mountain gazelle ''(Gazella gazella)'' images]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061006080401/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Gazella_gazella/ Mountain gazelle ''(Gazella gazella)'' images]
*[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jerusalem-gazelles-get-guaranteed-home-after-a-10-year-battle-1.3418 Jerusalem gazelles get guaranteed home after 10-year battle]
*[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/jerusalem-gazelles-get-guaranteed-home-after-a-10-year-battle-1.3418 Jerusalem gazelles get guaranteed home after 10-year battle]


{{Artiodactyla|R.5}}
{{Artiodactyla|R.5}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q754520}}


[[Category:Gazella]]
[[Category:Gazella]]
[[Category:Mammals of Israel]]
[[Category:Mammals of the Middle East]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1766]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas]]
[[Category:Fauna of Palestine (region)]]

Latest revision as of 19:04, 23 November 2024

Mountain gazelle[1]
Mountain gazelle (male)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Antilopinae
Tribe: Antilopini
Genus: Gazella
Species:
G. gazella
Binomial name
Gazella gazella
(Pallas, 1766)

The mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella), also called the true gazelle or the Palestine mountain gazelle,[3][4][5] is a species of gazelle that is widely but unevenly distributed.[6]

Approximately 6,000 are left in the wild as of 2024.[7][8][9] The mountain gazelle is protected under Israeli law, with Israel being the last major sanctuary of the species in the Levant.[7]

Byzantine-era mosaic of gazelle in Caesarea Maritima

Description

[edit]

Both sexes of the mountain gazelle have horns. Males have significantly larger horns with rings around them. Females also have horns, but they are thinner, smoother and shorter. Along with the horns, mountain gazelle are also sexually dimorphic in size, with males being larger than females. A mature male can range from 17 to 29.5 kg, while females are 16–25 kg in weight.[10] Mountain gazelle can reach running speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph).[11]

Population and range

[edit]

Mountain gazelle were historically distributed across the Levant. Currently they are most abundant in Israel, and are also present in the West Bank in Palestine, the Golan Heights, and Turkey.[8][12] Small, isolated populations are also found in parts of Jordan,[13] the Gaza Strip,[14] and may be present (though unlikely) in Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria outside of the Golan Heights.[2]

The mountain gazelle is protected as an endangered species under Israeli law, with Israel described as "the last stronghold" of the species in the Levant.[7]

The most recent population estimates and locations by country are:

Country Population Details
Israel, Palestinian Territories and the Golan Heights 5,000 One population of around 3,000 gazelles inhabits the Naftali, Yavniel, Ramot Yissachar, and Gilboa Mountains; the eastern Galilee, and the Golan Heights. Another population of about 850 lives in the Judean Hills and Jerusalem area. A series of smaller populations live across the Mediterranean region of Israel and the West Bank, as well as near the Dead Sea.[8] They have been occasionally seen in the Gaza Strip.[14]
Jordan Present; number unknown A small number of mountain gazelles have been observed near the Yarmouk and Jordan Rivers, though the population has been in decline for decades and the last confirmed sighting was in 2015.[13]
Turkey 1,331 Turkey's mountain gazelle population lives in the Kırıkhan district of the Hatay province on the border with Syria. They have grown in number from 150 in 2009, to over 1,140 by 2020 and 1331 by 2023.[9][12][15]

Habitat

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Gazelle have adapted to live in dry, arid conditions.[2] A large amount of their moisture needs are obtained through the vegetation they consume, though they cannot go very long without water. They spend most of their time at the flat tops and crests of mountains, hills, and valleys. Adapting to an annual average temperature of 21–23 °C, gazelles prefer to bed on breezy, elevated areas to avoid the heat of the day. Around dawn and dusk, these antelope will be found cautiously traversing the hills to eat in light forests, fields, or rocky plateaus.[10] Given their preference for elevation, it seems they are less adapted to hot, dry conditions than other ungulates, like the Dorcas gazelle; this diminutive antelope appears to have outcompeted the mountain gazelle throughout some of its range in the late Holocene era, during a period of climatic warming.

Ecology

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The mountain gazelle is a crepuscular species; they are awake most of the day and sleep most of the night, but generally are always active in the early morning hours and around sunset. They are also very territorial within their herds, and typically stay in groups of three to eight individuals. There are two main herd-types in the mountain gazelle community, namely mother/baby "maternity" herds and bachelor male herds; older, solitary males patrol and stake out territories, as well.[10]

Survival and reproduction

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In the wild, mountain gazelle rarely survive past the age of eight, but can live up to 15 years in captivity with adequate care. By 12 months, a female gazelle can begin breeding.[16] For males, 18 months is when they will start breeding.[10] Being polygamous,[16] and not spending their lives with only one partner, the mountain gazelle typical breeding season is during the early winter months. Females will give birth to one offspring per year, mostly around the months of April and May.[10] A few days prior to giving birth, the mother will leave her herd for a time, and live in solitude. Upon its birth, the newborn is especially vulnerable to predation. For up to two months, the mother and her offspring will stay by themselves, the mother keeping her baby well-hidden in vegetation while she forages. The baby will not typically accompany its mother to graze for several weeks, relying solely on camouflage and lying perfectly still to avoid detection by carnivores. Upon her return, the mother watches out diligently for threats. Some predators include golden eagles, feral dogs, foxes, golden jackals, Arabian wolves and, in some areas, Arabian and Anatolian leopards.[17] While young males will stay with their mother for only six months before departing to a herd of young males, young females will sometimes join their mother in the females' herd.[10]

Food

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Grasses and shrubs are the gazelle's most frequent source of food, with grazing being their preferred method of foraging. They are known to browse on low-hanging branches and young shoots as well, especially when their range encompasses that of the acacia tree. They can survive for long periods of time without a water source. Instead, they acquire water from succulent plants and dew droplets.[10]

History

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The mountain gazelle underwent a series of size changes during the late Pleistocene, being smallest during the early and middle Epipalaeolithic, and reaching their largest size in the early Late Epipalaeolithic. They then slightly shrunk before stabilizing in size, in the middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic. In the early and late Natufian, human impacts (such as hunting and living in more permanent settlements) may have driven gazelle numbers down enough so as to provide more food to each animal, thus increasing average body size. Later, the greater stability of food and water from agriculture and the avoidance of humans and livestock by gazelles may have similarly reduced population size and intraspecific competition for the gazelles and allow individual animals to grow larger on average.[18]

In the early 20th Century, unregulated hunting with firearms decimated the mountain gazelle population. By 1948, the population of Israel and the Palestinian Territories was approximately 500 individuals. With protection from Israel's 1955 Wildlife Law, the spread of agriculture, and the initial removal of predators, the population grew to approximately 10,000 individuals by the 1980s.[8] In the mid-1980s, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the southern Golan Heights and Ramat Yissachar killed about 3,500 gazelles. Combined with the return of predators, poaching, vehicle accidents, and other causes, the population declined to approximately 3,000 by 2001.[8] To prevent future outbreaks, a plan was drawn up to stabilize the female population at 1,000 in the Golan and 700 in Ramat Yissachar.[19] As of 2020, Israel's Nature and Parks Authority and other researchers have recorded a slow recovery, with approximately 5,000 gazelles across the country.[8]

In April 2024, an Israeli mountain gazelle, with six legs (with polymelia disorder) was sighted along the Nahal Habesor riverbed.[20]

Threats and conservation

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Mountain gazelles were hunted for food, however, in 1955 hunting mountain gazelles became illegal in Israel. A 2019 estimate found there are likely 300–1300 gazelles poached annually.[8]

As the mountain gazelle's habitat has become a more urban area of the world, there are numerous threats that to the population. Habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, and collisions with cars are all anthropogenic threats to the gazelles.[8] In areas with high human disturbance, gazelles tend to face predation from feral dogs causing the population recruitment rate to be low. Golden jackals are a historic predator of the gazelles, and a study of golden jackal diets in Park Britannia, central Israel found ungulates made up 70% of the jackal's diet, of which 14% of the ungulate biomass was gazelle.[21] Gazelles may also be more susceptible to predation from golden jackals and wild boar in areas where cattle grazing is used to reduce fire risk.[22]

Ongoing conservation efforts including protecting existing populations and reestablishing gazelle populations. In 2008, the Supreme Court of Israel overturned the approval of a housing development in critical habitat where Gazella gazella gazella were listed as a petitioner on the supreme court case.[23] Additional research on the mountain gazelle and its close relatives the Dorcas gazelle and acacia gazelle are allowing for forensic identification of the gazelles to aide wildlife forensic scientists and law enforcement to enforce wildlife protection laws.[24] Twelve mountain gazelles were released in Gazelle valley, Jerusalem where the population has rebounded from three to about 80 individuals in a 25 hectare fenced off portion of the park where they are protected from predators and car collisions.[25]

The West Bank Segregation Wall, which was built by Israel between 2000 and 2005, poses a great ecological conundrum at it separates populations of many indigenous species on both sides. The Mountain Gazelle is one of these.[8]

Subspecies

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Historically, some others such as the Cuvier's gazelle (G. cuvieri) were included as a subspecies,[26] but recent authorities consistently treat them as separate species.[27]

References

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  1. ^ Grubb, P. (2005). "Gazella gazella". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 637–722. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ a b c IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2017). "Gazella gazella". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T8989A50186574. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T8989A50186574.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  3. ^ Castelló, AvJosé (2016). Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives. Princeton University Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-1400880652. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  4. ^ Mallon, David; Kingswood, Steven (2001). Antelopes: North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. IUCN. p. 8 & 100. ISBN 2831705940. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Palestine mountain gazelle now endangered, say scientists". The Guardian. 2015-09-04. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  6. ^ "The story of gazelles in Jerusalem and what I want for them… – Kaitholil.com". Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  7. ^ a b c Staff, TOI (8 April 2024). "Six-legged gazelle born with rare genetic defect spotted in Israel's south".
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Yom-Tov, Yoram; Balaban, Amir; Hadad, Ezra; Weil, Gilad; Roll, Uri (September 2021). "The plight of the Endangered mountain gazelle Gazella gazella". Oryx. 55 (5): 771–778. doi:10.1017/S003060531900108X. ISSN 0030-6053.
  9. ^ a b SABAH, DAILY (2021-01-15). "Vulnerable mountain gazelle population continues to grow in southern Turkey's Hatay". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Lee, Kari. "Gazella gazella mountain gazelle". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  11. ^ Lee, K. "Gazella gazella". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  12. ^ a b Çoğal, Muhsin; Sözen, Mustafa (2017-02-07). "The status and distribution of Gazella gazella (Artiodactyla: Mammalia), and other mammals of the Hatay province in southern Turkey". Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution. 63 (2): 44–49. doi:10.1163/22244662-06301003. ISSN 2224-4662.
  13. ^ a b Eid, Ehab; Mallon, David (2021-08-27). "Wild ungulates in Jordan: past, present, and forthcoming opportunities". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 13 (9): 19338–19351. doi:10.11609/jott.6811.13.9.19338-19351. ISSN 0974-7907.
  14. ^ a b Abd Rabou, A. N. (2019). The mammalian, reptilian and amphibian fauna of Al-Mawasi ecosystem, south-western Gaza Strip-Palestine. Agricultural Research & Technology: Open Access Journal, 23(1), 00301-00314.
  15. ^ Karaer, Mina Cansu; Sönmez, Hande İrem; Madak, Elif; Kankılıç, Tolga; Tavşanoğlu, Çağatay; Sarımehmetoğlu, Hıfsı Oğuz (2024). "Helminths of captive and free-ranging populations of the mountain gazelle ( Gazella gazella ): Evidence from faecal examination". Veterinary Medicine and Science. 10 (3): e1429. doi:10.1002/vms3.1429. ISSN 2053-1095. PMC 10981916. PMID 38555575.
  16. ^ a b Baharav, Dan (January 1974). "NOTES ON THE POPULATION STRUCTURE AND BIOMASS OF THE MOUNTAIN GAZELLE, GAZELLA GAZELLA GAZELLA". Israel Journal of Zoology. 23 (1): 39–44. doi:10.1080/00212210.1974.10688395 (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  17. ^ "Mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella)". Wildscreen Arkive. Archived from the original on 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  18. ^ Munro, Natalie D.; Lebenzon, Roxanne; Sapir-Hen, Lidar (2022-08-31). "Revisiting Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) body size change in the southern Levant: A case for anthropogenic impact". PLOS ONE. 17 (8): e0273024. Bibcode:2022PLoSO..1773024M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0273024. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 9432756. PMID 36044411.
  19. ^ Mountain gazelle management in northern Israel in relation to wildlife disease control. (PDF) . oie.int.
  20. ^ "Mountain gazelle". www.jerusalemzoo.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  21. ^ Borkowski, Jakub; Zalewski, Andrzej; Manor, Regev (April 2011). "Diet Composition of Golden Jackals in Israel". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 48 (2): 108–118. doi:10.5735/086.048.0203. ISSN 0003-455X.
  22. ^ Shamoon, Hila; Dayan, Tamar; Saltz, David (November 2017). "Cattle grazing effects on mountain gazelles in Mediterranean natural landscapes: Indirect Grazing Effects on Gazelles". The Journal of Wildlife Management. 81 (8): 1351–1362. doi:10.1002/jwmg.21323.
  23. ^ Adam, Rachelle (2016). "Finding Safe Passage through a Wave of Extinctions: Israel's Endangered Mountain Gazelle". Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy. 19 (2): 136–158. doi:10.1080/13880292.2016.1167472. S2CID 87840827.
  24. ^ Hadas, L.; Hermon, D.; Bar-Gal, G. K. (2016). "Before they are gone - improving gazelle protection using wildlife forensic genetics". Forensic Science International. Genetics. 24: 51–54. doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2016.05.018. PMID 27294679.
  25. ^ Matthieussent, Delphine. "Endangered gazelles spring back in Jerusalem park". phys.org. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  26. ^ ADW: Gazella gazella: INFORMATION. Animaldiversity.org. Retrieved on 2015-09-25.
  27. ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2016). "Gazella cuvieri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T8967A50186003. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T8967A50186003.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
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