The mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) is a species of gazelle widely but unevenly distributed across the Arabian Peninsula. It inhabits mountains, foothills and coastal plains. Its range coincides closely with that of the acacia trees that grow in these areas. It is mainly a grazing species, though this varies with food availability. It is less well adapted to hot, dry conditions than the Dorcas gazelle, which appears to have replaced the mountain gazelle through some of its range during the late Holocene in a period of climatic warming.
Less than 15,000 mountain gazelles are left within their natural range, more than 10,000 of these being of Arabian mountain gazelle subspecies, G. g. cora, less than 3,000 of Palestine mountain gazelles, G. g. gazella, less than 1,000 of G. g. farasani, less than 250 of G. g. muscatensis, and 19 of subspecies G. g. acaiae. Mountain gazelles can reach running speeds up to 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph).
The Israeli gazelle - G. g. gazella - resides largely in three areas: the Golan Heights, Ramot Naftali and the Galilee. In the coastal plain, there is a small population of gazelles but the numbers are decreasing in the wake of accelerated urbanization. The population decreased greatly throughout its natural range in the first part of the 20th century due to poaching. but increased thereafter thanks to conservation efforts.
The Arava gazelle - G. g. acaiae - is in critical danger with only 19 (counting made in 2007 of 17 plus two newborns) gazelle in a closed nature reserve near Yotvata.
The merrill gazella - G. g. merrilli - lives in the mountains near Jerusalem.
Famous quotes containing the word mountain:
“The broken ridge of the hills
was the line of a lover’s shoulder,
his arm-turn, the path to the hills,
the sudden leap and swift thunder
of mountain boulders, his laugh.”
—Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961)