| Size |
|
| Weight |
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| Conservation Status |
On the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Mhorr gazelle is listed as Critically Endangered. |
| Diet |
In the wild, Mhorr gazelles eat grasses, herbs and dry, bushy, woody plants.
In zoos, they eat herbivore pellets, browse and timothy hay |
| Geographic Range |
Mhorr gazelles used to exist in the area of southern Morocco known as Western Sahara. |
| Where to find me in the Zoo |
African Plains |
Note: Description below should include Longevity, Behavior, and Reproduction information
The Mhorr gazelles are the largest of all true gazelles. The Mhorr subspecies has a head and body that can grow as large as four - five and three-quarters feet long and weighs as much as 188 pounds. Males are larger than females and have thicker horns. The Mhorr gazelle has a very slender body with a long neck and long, thin legs.
The upper body parts and neck of the Mhorr coat are a dark brown color that varies in darkness in different seasons. The head is lighter brown with white areas around the eyes and muzzle. There also is a spot of white on the front of its neck and a dark strip that runs from the eyes to the corners of the mouth. The body's under parts and rump and tail are white.
Both males and females have horns. These bend to the rear at the base but then curve forward and upwards. The horns have noticeable rings along their length.
In zoos, Mhorr gazelles live approximately 12 years.
Females reach sexual maturity during their first year. A single precocious youngster is born after a gestation period that lasts six or six and a half months. Births usually occur in the spring when vegetation is most prevalent.
Mhorr gazelles are diurnal, or active during the daytime, and can live in several different groupings. These groupings can include single males, small groups of non-breeding males, small groups of females and their young, and small mixed groups of both sexes of all ages.
They display a "pronking" or pogo stick-like movement in which the animal bounces along in a stiff-legged gait. All four legs leave and return to the ground together.
The pronking gait possibly gives these gazelles a better view of predators and also may be an alarm signal to confuse them.
Births occur during seasons of maximum food supply to increase the chances of a healthy mother and youngster.
April: Female, born at the Zoo on April 1, 2003.
Robin: Female, born at the Zoo on April 6, 2003.
Mas: Female, born at the Zoo on May 5, 2006 to April.
Ginelle: Female, born at the Zoo on March 28, 2007 to April.
Moira Abby: Female, born at the Zoo on March 17, 2008 to April.
Enrichment
Adoption Information
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The Zoo's Mhorr gazelles are quiet and shy animals. However, one of our females is very protective of her calves. She once made her keeper back up behind a rock because she felt her calf was threatened.
Enrichment
Mhorr's gazelles are extinct in the wild. CITES I lists this species as most restricted and threatened with extinction, and the U.S. Endangered Species Act lists Mhorr's gazelles as endangered. Due to severe over-hunting and loss of habitat, the Mhorr's gazelle no longer exists in the wild and is only sustained in zoos.
The breeding program for this species is managed on a national level by a Species Survival Plan organized by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).
Zoo Research
Fun Facts
Mhorr gazelles are the largest of all the gazelle species.
Both males and female Mhorr gazelles have horns.
Conservation
Introductions
Animal Lingo
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