Thomson's gazelle in the context of Red-fronted gazelle


Thomson's gazelle in the context of Red-fronted gazelle

⭐ Core Definition: Thomson's gazelle

Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) is one of the best known species of gazelles. It is named after explorer Joseph Thomson and is sometimes referred to as a "tommie". It is considered by some to be a subspecies of the red-fronted gazelle and was formerly considered a member of the genus Gazella within the subgenus Eudorcas, before Eudorcas was elevated to genus status.

Thomson's gazelles can be found in numbers exceeding 200,000 in Africa and are recognized as the most common type of gazelle in East Africa. A small fast antelope, the Thomson's gazelle is said to have top speeds up to 80–90 km/h (50–55 mph). It is the fourth-fastest land animal, after the cheetah (its main predator), pronghorn, and springbok.

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Thomson's gazelle in the context of Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti National Park is a large national park in northern Tanzania that stretches over 14,763 km (5,700 sq mi). It is located in eastern Mara Region and northeastern Simiyu Region and contains over 15,000 km (5,800 sq mi) of virgin savanna. The park was established in 1940.

The Serengeti is well known for the largest annual animal migration in the world of over 1.5 million western white-bearded wildebeest and 250,000 Grant's zebra, along with between 400-500,000 Thomson's gazelle and smaller herds of common eland. The national park is also home to the largest lion population in Africa. It is under threat from deforestation, population growth, poaching, and ranching.

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Thomson's gazelle in the context of Springbok

The springbok or springbuck (Antidorcas marsupialis) is an antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole living member of the genus Antidorcas, this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1780. Three subspecies are identified. A slender, long-legged antelope, the springbok reaches 71 to 86 cm (28 to 34 in) at the shoulder and weighs between 27 and 42 kg (60 and 93 lb). Both sexes have a pair of black, 35-to-50 cm (14-to-20 in) long horns that curve backwards. The springbok is characterised by a white face, a dark stripe running from the eyes to the mouth, a light brown coat marked by a reddish-brown stripe that runs from the upper foreleg to the buttocks across the flanks like the Thomson's gazelle, and a white rump flap.

Active mainly at dawn and dusk, springbok form harems (mixed-sex herds). In earlier times, springbok of the Kalahari Desert and Karoo migrated in large numbers across the countryside, a practice known as trekbokking. A feature, peculiar but not unique, to the springbok is pronking, in which the springbok performs multiple leaps into the air, up to 2 m (6.6 ft) above the ground, in a stiff-legged posture, with the back bowed and the white flap lifted. Primarily a browser, the springbok feeds on shrubs and succulents; this antelope can live without drinking water for years, meeting its requirements through eating succulent vegetation. Breeding takes place year-round, and peaks in the rainy season, when forage is most abundant. A single calf is born after a five- to six-month-long pregnancy; weaning occurs at nearly six months of age, and the calf leaves its mother a few months later.

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Thomson's gazelle in the context of Kitengela

Kitengela is a municipality in the Kajiado County of Kenya, located 34 kilometres (21 mi) south of the capital Nairobi, forming part of the greater Metropolitan Area. Kitengela began as The Kitengela group ranch, made up of 18,292 hectares (45,200 acres) and 214 registered members which was subdivided in 1988 in efforts by the Government to encourage private land ownership in pastoral systems. This had the aim of intensifying and commercializing livestock production. After subdivision of the group ranch, land fragmentation and sales have continued at a steady and escalating pace. The human population within the Kitengela area has more than doubled in the last 10 years, from 6,548 in 1989 to 17,347 in 1999 to 58,167 in 2009. There is also a town named Kitengela in the area.

Close to Nairobi National Park is also the Kitengela Game Conservation Area populated with buffalo, Masai giraffe, eastern black rhino, Common eland, impala, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle, common waterbuck and Defassa waterbuck, hippopotamus, common warthog, olive baboon, monkeys and the attendant carnivoreslion, spotted hyena, cheetah, side-striped and black-backed jackals, African golden wolves, bat-eared fox and smaller carnivores.

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