Photo by Nevit Dilmen (Wikimedia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Popular Antelope<\/h2>\n
The first adaptation would be their desire to live in a group. Let’s face it, if you spend most of your day grazing on grass in the open plains of Africa, you had better have a few friends with you. Well, this antelope is quite popular and has been known to form grazing herds of hundreds of animals. When the rainy season arrives and the food is plentiful, the population transforms from hundreds into thousands of Gazelle’s. At the individual level, the more animals the better as it increases your odds of surviving a hungry predator…..as there are more “snacks” to choose from.<\/p>\n
The One Instance Where Speed Doesn’t Kill<\/h2>\n
When the unfortunate Gazelle does get picked out from the crowd, they rely on their second defence mechanism. Yes, I am talking about their swiftness. These little antelopes typically reach speeds up to 64 km\/hr (4o mph), however, if required they can burst out of the gates at an amazing 97 km\/hr (60 mph). Unfortunately, they can’t sustain these burst speeds but it definitely helps put a little distance between them and their oncoming attacker.<\/p>\n
Herding and Speed is all the Thomson’s Gazelle needs to live a long and satisfying life. In fact, their average life span in the wild is between 10 and 12 years, which is pretty impressive if you think about where they spend the majority of their time. I guess you can never underestimate the power of friends……or being able to run 97 km\/hr!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I just realized this morning that we have yet to study one of the most impressive prey items on the planet, the Thomson’s Gazelle. So, grab your gear because we are heading to the plains of Africa. \u00a0I promise you will be impressed with the quickness and stunning beauty of this little antelope, so make sure you bring your camera and hopefully if you are fast enough….you will get a great picture. \u00a0Although there are about 18 other species of Gazelle, the Thomson’s variety is by far the most popular, and is probably the one you are picturing in your <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[60,4024],"tags":[348,795,3109,3108,973,3110,4025,3107],"yoast_head":"\n
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