Thompson's Gazelle

Species: Thompson's Gazelle
Habitat: African Savanna
Status: Near Threatened
DAK Locale: Pembe/Sunset Savannas at AKL

Because it is one of the more common animals seen on the famous Serengeti, this gazelle is perhaps one of the most well known. The Thompson's gazelles, or tommies as Warden Wilson and many others call them, are small, light brown animals, with a black stripe along its side. Their horns are short and slender, though the males are distinctly longer than the females.

They are common prey for many of the areas predators including hyenas, leopards, pythons and crocodiles. Even eagles will take young. They are a staple of the cheetah's diet due to their relatively small size. Unlike bigger antelope, they don't typically stand their ground. Thankfully, they are fast, real fast: hitting 50 to 60 miles per hour. They also run in zigzag patterns in an effort to lose the hunter. A cheetah chasing a tommie is truly a sight to behold on a safari. The cheetah can actually run faster, but the zigzagging and better stamina evens the odds.

Tommies are mixed feeders. In the wet season, they eat mostly grass, but at dry times they tend to focus on browse for food. They tend to follow bigger herbivores like wildebeest and zebra. This is for two reasons. First, those animals are higher up and can see better over the tall grass to find lions and leopards. Secondly, they allow the bigger animals to mow down the taller grass to get at the shorter grass below.

The gazelle is territorial, at least the males. Female groups migrate through territories, and the male with the better food supplies, get more females into their area. If a bachelor comes into his territory, they will get chased off or have to fight. In keeping his territorial boundaries, males use their horns for marking and they also have a gland that they rub on trees and the like.

There are an estimated 550,000 Thompson's gazelles in the wild. It is likely the most numerous gazelle in all of East Africa. However, since the mid 1970s, its population has declined about 60%. For that reason, it is currently listed as Near Threatened. The decline is due mostly habitat destruction, fire, and road development.