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Average Mass: |
Track:44mm (1 3/4 ") x 25mm (1") |
Distribution is Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan The short upper coat is a uniform tan colour. A thin dark brown flank stripe runs along the side between the legs, demarcating the edge of the white undersides. As the name suggests, this gazelle has a strikingly red forehead with faint red and cream-coloured lines running from the eyes to the nose. There is an indistinct white eye-ring. The tail has a black tuft, which contrasts sharply with the white buttocks. The legs are extremely slender, rufous on their outer side and white on the inside. The thick, almost parallel horns are found in both sexes, curving in a slight "S" over their length. They are ridged and grow 15-25 cm / 6-10 inches long in females and 22-35 cm / 8.8-14 inches long in males. Although the gazelle can obtain most of its moisture requirements from the plants that it eats, it is more water-dependent than most other species of gazelles which live in the same region. As a result, these gazelles must undertake seasonal migrations within their range: north into the desert in the wet season, and returning to the south in the dry season. These gazelles prefer open habitats, and hence may be found in close proximity with humans and their cultivated areas. Breeding males defend territories from other males, marking the boundaries with dung piles and secretions from the preorbital glands.
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