If the "marathon runners" of the animal world, the slender-horned gazelle and the cheetah, had a speed contest, who would win?

When it comes to Tibetan antelopes, everyone probably knows that they are a first-class protected animal in my country. However, not many people know about the slender-horned gazelles that live in the Sahara Desert in Africa and the grasslands of countries such as Algeria. In fact, they are also members of the antelope family, few in number, and are also endangered species.

What does the slender horn look like?

The slender-horned gazelle is a type of gazelle. As the name suggests, its horns are very thin. The male's horns are up to 40 cm long, while the female's are relatively smaller, slightly curved, about 30 cm.

Why is it called gazelle?

How did the name gazelle come about? Because their eyes are so big that they always look like they are about to pop out. Slender-horned gazelles live on the edge of the Sahara Desert in Africa and on the grasslands of a few areas such as Algeria and Egypt. In order to adapt to the desert environment, their bodies are sandy brown, similar to the color of the surrounding desert, and only their tails are black.

The slender-horned gazelle looks very gentle. Its two large ears are very sensitive and can hear sounds coming from very far away. Its two bulging eyes are very alert and pay close attention to the dynamics around it. Its four long legs are particularly good at running.

Happy group life

The slender-horned gazelle is agile and strong in vitality. It likes to live in groups. It goes out in groups in the morning or evening, and likes to look for grasslands or primeval forests with water sources. Where there are grasslands in the Sahara Desert, there will definitely be slender-horned gazelles. Although the desert vegetation is sparse, there are many plants such as calligonum, poplar leaves, green mosses and lichens, which are all delicacies for slender-horned gazelles. Slender-horned gazelles hardly need to drink water in a day, and basically rely on the green plants they eat to supply water to their bodies.

Since the daytime temperature in deserts and grasslands is generally high, it can reach up to 60℃ in summer. No animal can stand such a temperature, so they have to find ways to escape the heat. Slender-horned gazelles like to rest around ponds on the edge of the desert. Living together with their companions, they can help each other and use the ponds to protect themselves. In this way, even if they encounter a strong enemy, they can quickly jump into the pond to escape, while lions, cheetahs and other animals can only sigh in despair.

When the slender-horned gazelles are active, they usually go out in groups, whether foraging or resting, and rarely go alone. When going out to find food, the slender-horned gazelles will first send some male companions to scout ahead. Because females are not as quick as males in reacting, males completely act as leaders in the group, protecting the entire family from being violated. These male companions are not far apart, so that they can take care of each other when encountering ferocious beasts. As long as they find a pond or a forest, they will quickly rush back to the group and lead their companions to come over for a full meal. They always give fresh plants to the cubs and the elderly and weak. The well-fed slender-horned gazelles will snuggle together, and the cubs like to hug the elderly and help them lick their bodies, presenting a picture of a harmonious family.

The marathon runners of the animal world

Because the slender-horned gazelle is small in size and has long and slender legs, it can run briskly, with an average speed of 70 kilometers per hour and a maximum speed of 90 kilometers per hour. When running, its two hind legs push hard, and the whole body jumps forward, with its two front legs almost touching the ground, forming a jumping running style.

We all know that the cheetah can run at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour, which makes it the king of the Sahara Desert. However, the cheetah can only run at high speed for a few minutes. The slender-horned gazelle is different. When it runs, it breathes evenly through its mouth and nose, has strong endurance, and will not stop even if it runs for hours. It is an excellent "marathon runner" in the animal world.

Reproduction in the hot season

The mating season of the slender-horned gazelle is usually from August to September each year. This is the hot season, and there is abundant water and grass on the edge of the desert, so they can rest for a long time after eating.

After a normal gestation period of 5 months, females will give birth to 1 to 2 cubs. Newborn gazelles always curl up beside their mothers with their eyes closed, and open their eyes about 3 days later when they can walk. They hide in hidden holes or shallow ditches, and are cared for and nursed by their mothers for 3 months. After 3 months, their fathers take them out to explore the world.

What to do when you encounter a strong enemy

Whether living in the desert or grassland, in the world of the jungle, dangers lurk everywhere. When slender-horned gazelles forage together, males will scatter around the group and patrol the surrounding environment with wide eyes. Once they find danger, they will immediately give a warning sound.

With a speed of 70 kilometers per hour and the ability to leap 3 meters high and 9 meters in one stride, the slender-horned gazelle rarely takes other animals seriously. Despite this, they are often attacked by lions, cheetahs, etc. Sometimes you will see a scene like this: a slender-horned gazelle sees a cheetah running towards it, and it jumps as if nothing has happened, as if it is very leisurely. In fact, it is confusing the other party and firmly saying: "You may not be able to catch up with me, give up!" At the same time, it warns its companions: "The strong enemy is attacking! Run!"

However, for their own survival, thrilling "chase battles" are indispensable. During the chase, the slender-horned gazelle sometimes turns suddenly, leaving the cheetah running at high speed no time to "brake", and watching the other party escape; sometimes it rushes to a gully several meters wide and jumps, but the cheetah does not have such jumping ability and falls to death. However, there are times when the slender-horned gazelle cannot escape. When it is sleeping, it is often attacked by the cheetah. Sometimes several cheetahs besiege a gazelle, and the scene is very tragic.

The habitat is not optimistic

In the early 1970s, the slender-horned gazelle was already on the verge of extinction. Human production and lifestyle seriously threaten the habitat of the slender-horned gazelle, and the illegal hunting of horns for meat has left the slender-horned gazelle nowhere to hide. In addition, in recent years, the desert and grassland environment have been affected by global warming, and the slender-horned gazelle will not migrate on a large scale, which has led to a decrease in suitable habitats for them. Their survival has been greatly threatened and their numbers have decreased sharply. At present, there are only 300 to 600 slender-horned gazelles in the wild, so the World Conservation Union has rated its conservation status as "endangered."

Text/Yan Shizhou