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The Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa ) is a medium-sized antelope native to Central Asian steppes.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withIn the summer, Mongolian gazelles are light brown in color with pinkish tones; their coats become longer and paler during the winter. They also have a distinctive heart-shaped white patch on their rump area, divided by a median line of darker color. The male has lyre-shaped horns which curl backward from the forehead.
Mongolian gazelles are native to Central Asia where they occur in Mongolia, as well as some parts of Siberia and China. Within that range, they inhabit semiarid steppes and semi-deserts with some vegetation.
Mongolian gazelles are mostly diurnal in the winter, but in the summer, they are active shortly after sunrise and before sunset. They tend to travel a lot, and migrations take place in spring and autumn, but the distance and direction vary depending on the weather and food availability. Mongolian gazelles are very fast and can reach speeds up to 65 kph (40.3 mph). They can also jump up to 6 m (19.6 ft) high and are strong swimmers. Mongolian gazelles live in groups that usually consist of 20-30 individuals in the summer, and 100 in the winter. However, herds of up to 5,000 individuals are not unusual. In 2007, a mega-herd of a quarter of a million Mongolian gazelles was seen gathering on the country's steppes, one of the world's last great wildernesses.
Mongolian gazelles are herbivores (graminivores, folivores). Their diet includes various types of grass and herbaceous plants.
Mongolian gazelles are polygynous, meaning that males mate with more than one female during the breeding season. They mate in the late autumn or winter; at this time, the males' throats swell in a goiter-like effect. Competition is vigorous but fights rarely break out. The gestation period lasts for about 5-6 months. Births occur in June and July when groups of dozens of females separate from the herd to give birth, rejoining the herd afterward. They usually give birth to a single calf and occasionally twins. The young weigh about 3 kg (6.6 lb) and can keep up with their mother after a few days. They typically stay with their mothers in the herd for about one year and become reproductively mature after 17-18 months of age.
Despite still being one of the most numerous large animals in the world, roughly 100,000 Mongolian gazelles are killed each year. Illegal hunting poses a serious threat to this species. Other threats include habitat loss, serve winter, and disease outbreaks.
According to IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Mongolian gazelle is around 500,000-1,500,00 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...