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Thomson's Gazelle
The Thomson\'s gazelle (Gazella thomsoni) is one of the best-known gazelles. It is named after explorer Joseph Thomson, and is often referred to as the "tommy." It is considered by some (e.g. Kingdon 1997) to be a subspecies of the Red-fronted gazelle (G. rufifrons).
Thomson\'s gazelles live in Africa\'s savannas and grassland habitats, particularly the Serengeti region of Kenya and Tanzania, though they can also be found in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. They eat low vegetation and grass. Most of the water they need comes from what they eat.
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Thomson's Gazelle
Thomson's gazelles are 60–90 cm (24-35 in) tall and weigh 13–16 kg (29-35 lb). They have light brown coats with white underparts and a distinctive black stripe. Their horns are long and pointed with slight curvature. The white patch on their rump extends to underneath the tail but no further. An error sometimes made is the misidentification of Grant's gazelles as Thomson's gazelles. Although some Grant's do have the black stripe running across their sides, the white on their rump always extends above the tail. They can reach a speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) when chased by their enemy, the cheetah.
A noticeable behaviour of Thomson's gazelles is their bounding leap, known as stotting or pronking, used to startle predators and display strength. They often congregate with other hoofed mammals, or ungulates, such as wildebeest and zebra, and usually live and migrate in herds with hundreds or thousands of other Thomson's gazelles.
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