Thomson's gazelle

{{short description|Species of gazelle}} {{speciesbox | name = Thomson gazelle | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group. |year=2018 |errata=2020 |title=''Eudorcas thomsonii'' |article-number=e.T8982A172360006 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T8982A172360006.en}}</ref> | image = Gacela de Thomson (Eudorcas thomsonii), parque nacional de Amboseli, Kenia, 2024-05-23, DD 11.jpg | image_caption = Male | image2 = | image2_caption = Female with fawn, Masai Mara, Kenya | taxon = Eudorcas thomsonii | authority = ([[Albert C. L. G. Günther|Günther]], 1884) | range_map = Eudorcas thomsonii.png | range_map_caption = Distribution range }} '''Thomson's gazelle''' ('''''Eudorcas thomsonii''''') is one of the best known species of [[gazelle]]s. It is named after explorer [[Joseph Thomson (explorer)|Joseph Thomson]]<ref name="awf.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/thomsonsgazelle|title=Thomson's Gazelle|work=African Wildlife Foundation|date=2013-02-22}}</ref> and is sometimes referred to as a "'''tommie'''". It is considered by some to be a subspecies of the [[red-fronted gazelle]] and was formerly considered a member of the genus ''Gazella'' within the subgenus ''Eudorcas'', before ''Eudorcas'' was elevated to genus status.<ref>Kingdon, Jonathan (1997). ''The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals''. San Diego and London:Academic Press. pp. 411–413. ({{ISBN|0-12-408355-2}})</ref>

Thomson's gazelles can be found in numbers exceeding 200,000<ref name="iucn" /> in Africa and are recognized as the most common type of gazelle in East Africa. A small fast [[antelope]], the Thomson's gazelle is said to have top speeds up to {{Convert|50-55|mph||round=5|abbr=on|order=flip}}. It is the fourth-fastest land animal, after the [[cheetah]] (its main predator), [[pronghorn]], and [[springbok]].<ref name="awf.org" />

==Taxonomy and etymology== The current [[scientific name]] of Thomson's gazelle is ''Eudorcas thomsonii''. It is a member of the [[Genus (biology)|genus]] ''[[Eudorcas]]'' and is classified under the [[Family (taxonomy)|family]] [[Bovidae]]. Thomson's gazelle was first [[Scientific description|described]] by British zoologist [[Albert Günther]] in 1884.<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3|id=14200548|page=679}}</ref> The relationships between Thomson's gazelle and the [[Conspecificity|congeneric]] [[Mongalla gazelle]] (''E. albonotata'') remain disputed; while some authors such as Alan W. Gentry of the ([[Natural History Museum, London]]) consider the Mongalla gazelle to be a [[subspecies]] of Thomson's gazelle,<ref name=MSW3/><ref>{{ITIS|id=898627|taxon=''Eudorcas albonotata''|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref> others (such as [[Colin Groves]]) consider the Mongalla gazelle to be a full species.<ref name=UT>{{cite book|last1=Groves|first1=C.|author1-link=Colin Groves|last2=Grubb|first2=P.|author2-link=Peter Grubb (zoologist)|title=Ungulate Taxonomy|date=2011|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore, USA|isbn=978-1-4214-0093-8|page=179}}</ref> Zoologist [[Jonathan Kingdon]] treated [[Heuglin's gazelle]], sometimes considered a species of ''Eudorcas'' (''E. tilonura'') or a subspecies of the red-fronted gazelle (''E. r. tilonura''), as a subspecies of Thomson's gazelle.<ref name="Kingdon2015">{{cite book|last1=Kingdon|first1=J.|title=The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals|date=2015|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|location=London, UK|isbn=978-1-4729-2135-2|pages=563–4|edition=2nd}}</ref> Thomson's gazelle is named after the Scottish explorer [[Joseph Thomson (explorer)|Joseph Thomson]]; the first recorded use of the name dates to 1897.<ref>{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|Thomson's Gazelle|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref> Another common name for the gazelle is "tommy".<ref name=Kingdon1989>{{cite book|last1=Kingdon|first1=J.|author-link=Jonathan Kingdon|title=East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa|date=1989|publisher=Academic Press|location=London, UK|isbn=978-0-226-43725-5|pages=403–13|volume=3}}</ref>

{{clade | style=font-size:90%;line-height:100%; |1={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=''[[Gazella]]'' [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Gazella isabella (white background).png|50 px]] |2=[[Blackbuck]] (''Antilope cervicapra'') [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Antilope cervicapra (white background).png|50 px]] }} |2={{clade |label1=''[[Eudorcas]]'' |1={{clade |1=[[Red-fronted gazelle]] (''Eudorcas rufifrons'') [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Gazella rufifrons (white background).png|50 px]] |2='''Thomson's gazelle''' ('''''E. thomsonii''''') [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Gazella thomsoni white background.png|50 px]] }} |label2=''[[Nanger]]'' |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=[[Soemmerring's gazelle]] (''Nanger soemmerringii'') [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Gazella soemmerringi (white background).png|50 px]] |2=[[Grant's gazelle]] (''N. granti'') [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Gazella granti (white background).png|50 px]] }} |2=[[Dama gazelle]] (''N. dama'') [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Gazella mhorr (white background).png|50 px]] }} }} }} |2={{clade |1=[[Gerenuk]] (''Litocranius walleri'') [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Lithocranius walleri (white background).png|50 px]] |2=[[Springbok]] (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') [[File:The book of antelopes (1894) Antidorcas euchore (white background).png|50 px]] }} }} }}

''[[Antilope]]'', ''[[Eudorcas]]'', ''[[Gazella]]'', and ''[[Nanger]]'' form a [[clade]] within their [[Tribe (biology)|tribe]] [[Antilopini]]. A 1999 [[phylogenetic]] analysis showed that ''Antilope'' is the closest sister taxon to ''Gazella'',<ref name=rebholz>{{cite journal|last1=Rebholz|first1=W.|last2=Harley|first2=E.|title=Phylogenetic relationships in the bovid subfamily Antilopinae based on mitochondrial DNA sequences|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|date=July 1999|volume=12|issue=2|pages=87–94|doi=10.1006/mpev.1998.0586|pmid=10381312|bibcode=1999MolPE..12...87R }}</ref> although the earliest phylogeny, proposed in 1976, placed ''Antilope'' as sister to ''Nanger''.<ref name=effron>{{cite journal|last1=Effron|first1=M.|last2=Bogart|first2=M. H.|last3=Kumamoto|first3=A. T.|last4=Benirschke|first4=K.|title=Chromosome studies in the mammalian subfamily Antilopinae|journal=Genetica|date=1976|volume=46|issue=4|pages=419–44|doi=10.1007/BF00128089|s2cid=23227689}}</ref> In a more recent revision of the phylogeny of the Antilopini on the basis of [[Nucleus (biology)|nuclear]] and [[mitochondria]]l data in 2013, Eva Verena Bärmann (of the [[University of Cambridge]]) and colleagues constructed a cladogram that clearly depicted the close relationship between ''Nanger'' and ''Eudorcas''. ''Antilope'' and ''Gazella'' were found to have a similar relationship.<ref name="barmann">{{cite journal|last1=Bärmann|first1=E.V.|last2=Rössner|first2=G.E.|last3=Wörheide|first3=G.|title=A revised phylogeny of Antilopini (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) using combined mitochondrial and nuclear genes|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|date=2013|volume=67|issue=2|pages=484–93|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2013.02.015|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236042243|pmid=23485920|bibcode=2013MolPE..67..484B }}</ref><ref name="vn">{{cite book|editor1-last=Considine|editor1-first=G.D.|editor2-last=Kulik|editor2-first=P.H.|title=Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia|url=https://archive.org/details/vannostrandscien00gdco|url-access=limited|date=2008|publisher=Wiley-Interscience|location=New Jersey, USA|isbn=978-0-471-74398-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/vannostrandscien00gdco/page/n197 183]|edition=10th}}</ref>

Two subspecies are identified:<ref name=UT/><ref name=ITIS>{{ITIS|id=898223|taxon=''Eudorcas thomsonii''|access-date=24 April 2016}}</ref> *''E. t. nasalis'' <small>([[Einar Lönnberg|Lönnberg]], 1908)</small> – Serengeti Thomson's gazelle ranges from the [[Serengeti]] to the [[Kenya Rift Valley]]. *''E. t. thomsonii'' <small>(Günther, 1884)</small> – eastern Thomson's gazelle ranges from east of the Rift Valley in [[Kenya]] and [[Tanzania]], southward to [[Arusha District]] (Tanzania) and then southwestward to [[Lake Eyasi]], [[Wembere River]], and [[Shinyanga]].

==Description== [[File:Gazella thomsonii Thomsons Gazelle in Tanzania 3446 cropped Nevit.jpg|thumb|left|A close-up of a male Thomson's gazelle: males have horns that are thicker and longer than those of the female.]] Thomson's gazelle is a relatively small gazelle; it stands {{cvt|60|–|70|cm|in}} at the shoulder. Males weigh {{cvt|20|–|35|kg|lb}}, while the slightly lighter females weigh {{cvt|15|–|25|kg|lb}}. Facial characteristics of the gazelle include white rings around the eyes, black stripes running from a corner of the eye to the nose, [[rufous]] stripes running from the [[Horn (anatomy)|horn]]s to the nose, a dark patch on the nose, and a light forehead.<ref name="Castello">{{cite book|last1=Castelló|first1=J.R.|title=Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives|date=2016|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, USA|isbn=978-1-4008-8065-2|pages=104–7}}</ref><ref name="Foley">{{cite book|last1=Foley|first1=C.|last2=Foley|first2=L.|last3=Lobora|first3=A.|last4=De Luca|first4=D.|last5=Msuha|first5=M.|last6=Davenport|first6=T.R.B.|last7=Durant|first7=S.M.|title=A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania|date=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, USA|isbn=978-1-4008-5280-2|page=212}}</ref>

[[File:Serengeti Thomson-Gazelle3.jpg|thumb|right|A Thomson's gazelle, showing the facial markings and the dark lateral stripe]] The [[coat (animal)|coat]] is sandy brown to rufous; a black band runs across the flanks, from the upper foreleg to just above the upper hind leg. A buff band occurs above the black stripe. Short, black streaks mark the white rump. The black tail measures {{cvt|15|–|27|cm|in}}. Males have well-developed [[preorbital gland]]s near the eyes, which are used for [[Territorial marking|scent-marking]] [[Territory (animal)|territories]]. Both sexes possess horns that curve slightly backward with the tips facing forward. The horns, highly ringed, measure {{cvt|25|–|43|cm|in}} in males and {{cvt|7|–|15|cm|in}} in females. However, females have more fragile horns; some are even hornless.<ref name=Kingdon2015/><ref name=Castello/> [[Grant's gazelle]] is very similar to Thomson's gazelle, but can be differentiated by its larger size and the white patch on the rump extending top over the tail.<ref name=Foley/>

The two subspecies differ in their appearance. The eastern Thomson's gazelle is the larger of the two, with fainter facial markings. The Serengeti Thomson's gazelle has a whiter face with more conspicuous markings. The horns of females are shorter than those of males to a greater degree in the eastern Thomson's gazelle and the horns are more divergent in the eastern Thomson gazelle.<ref name=UT/>

==Ecology== [[File:Gazella thomsoni in Masai Mara.jpg|thumb|left|Gazelle herd]] Thomson's gazelle lives in East Africa's savannas and grassland habitats, particularly the Serengeti region of Kenya and Tanzania. It has narrow habitat preferences, preferring short grassland with dry, sturdy foundation. It does, however, migrate into tall grassland and dense woodland. Gazelles are mixed feeders.<ref name="Estes 1991">Estes, R. (1991). ''The Behavior Guide to African Mammals, Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates.'' Los Angeles, The University of California Press. pgs. 70–75</ref> In the wet seasons, they eat mainly fresh grasses, but during the dry seasons, they eat more [[browse]],<ref name = "Kingdon 1979"/> particularly foliage from woody plants bushes and herbaceous [[forb]]s.<ref name="Estes 1991"/>

[[File:Aquila heliaca vs. Eudorcas thomsonii.JPG|thumb|Doe defending dead fawn from [[eastern imperial eagle]]]] [[File:Gepard mit Thomson-Gazelle 2.jpg|thumb|right|A cheetah with a Thomson's gazelle carcass. Cheetahs are the main predators of Thomson's gazelle.]] Thomson's gazelles are dependent on short grass. Their numbers can be highly concentrated at the beginning of the rains when the grass grows quickly. In the Serengeti, they follow the larger herbivores, such as [[plains zebra]]s and [[blue wildebeest]]s as they mow down the taller grasses.<ref name = "Kingdon 1979"/> In the wild, Thomson's gazelles can live 10–15 years. Their major predators are [[cheetah]]s, which are able to attain higher speeds, but gazelles can outlast them in long chases and are able to make turns more quickly.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdm_4lSG1JU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Bdm_4lSG1JU |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Cheetah cubs vs gazelle - BBC wildlife|work=YouTube|date=13 July 2007 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> This small antelope can run extremely fast, up to {{convert|80|km/h|abbr=on}},<ref> Natural History Magazine (March 1974). The American Museum of Natural History; and James G. Doherty, general curator, The Wildlife Conservation Society</ref> and zigzag, an adaptation which often saves it from predators. Sometimes, they are also taken by [[leopard]]s, [[lion]]s, [[African wild dog]]s, [[hyena]]s, [[Nile crocodile]]s and [[African rock python]]s, and their fawns are sometimes the prey of [[eagle]]s, [[jackal]]s, and [[baboon]]s. A noticeable behaviour of Thomson's gazelles is their bounding leap, known as [[stotting]] or [[pronking]], used to startle predators and display strength.

==Social behavior== [[File:Thompson's Gazelles, squaring off, Serengeti.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Two male gazelles in an agonistic display with females nearby]] [[File:Gazella thomsonii Thomsons Gazelle in Tanzania 2573 Nevit.jpg|thumb|right|Gazelle marking grass with its [[preorbital gland]]]] During the wet season, a time when grass is abundant, adult male gazelles graze extensively. They spread out more and establish breeding territories.<ref name="Walther 1977">{{cite journal | last1 = Walther | first1 = F. R. | year = 1977 | title = Sex and Activity Dependency of Distances Between Thomson's Gazelles (''Gazella Thomsoni'' Gunther 1884) | journal = Animal Behaviour | volume = 25 | issue = 3| pages = 713–719 | doi=10.1016/0003-3472(77)90120-8| s2cid = 53181151 }}</ref> Younger males usually spend their time in bachelor groups, and are prevented from entering the territories. Females form migratory groups that enter the males' territories, mostly the ones with the highest-quality resources.<ref name="Jarman 1974">{{cite journal | last1 = Jarman | first1 = P. J. | year = 1974 | title = The Social Organization of Antelope in Relation to their Ecology | doi = 10.1163/156853974x00345 | journal = Behaviour | volume = 48 | issue = 3–4| pages = 215–267 | s2cid = 83588927 }}</ref> As the female groups pass through and forage, the territorial males may try to herd them, and are usually successful in preventing single females from leaving, but not whole groups.<ref name="Estes 1991"/><ref name="Jarman 1974"/> Subadult males usually establish dominance through actual combat, while adults are more likely to do rituals. If a bachelor male should be passing through a territorial male's region, the male will chase the offender out of his territory.<ref name="Estes 1991"/>

When patrolling his territory, a male may use his horns to gore the grass, soil, or a bush.<ref name="Roman">Walther, Fritz (1995). In the Country of Gazelles, Chapter 1; "Short-tail and Roman", pp. 1–37. Indiana University Press.</ref> Males also mark grass stems with their preorbital glands, which emit a dark secretion.<ref name="Estes 1991"/><ref name="Roman"/> Territories of different males may share a boundary. When territorial males meet at the border of their territories, they engage in mock fights in which they rush towards each other as if they are about to clash, but without touching. After this, they graze in a frontal position, then in parallel and then in reverse, and move away from each other while constantly grazing. These rituals have no victor, but merely maintain the boundaries of the territories. Territorial males usually do not enter another male's territory. If a male is chasing an escaping female, he will stop the chase if she runs into another territory, but the neighboring male will continue the chase.<ref name="Roman"/>

==Reproduction and parental care== [[File:Thomson's gazelle (Eudorcas thomsoni).jpg|thumb|right|220px|Male gazelle mounting a female]] [[File:Gazella thomsonii, Tanzania - 20100808.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Fawn hiding in the grass]] A male gazelle follows a female and sniffs her urine to find out if she is in estrus, a process known as the [[Flehmen response]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hart |first1=Lynette A. |first2=Benjamin L. |last2=Hart |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232525532 |title=Species-specific patterns of urine investigation and flehmen in Grant's gazelle (Gazella granti), Thomson's gazelle (G. thomsoni), impala (Aepyceros melampus), and eland (Taurotragus oryx) |journal=Journal of Comparative Psychology |volume=101 |issue=4 |year=1987 |pages=299–304 |doi=10.1037/0735-7036.101.4.299}}</ref> If so, he continues to court and mount her.<ref name="Roman"/> Females leave the herd to give birth to single fawns after a five- to six-month gestation period.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Estes | first1 = R. D. | year = 1967 | title = The Comparative Behavior of Grant's and Thomson's Gazelles | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 48 | issue = 2| pages = 189–209 | doi=10.2307/1378022| jstor = 1378022 }}</ref> Breeding takes place year-round, with a peak in births around January/February, and in some populations a second peak around June/July.<ref>{{cite journal| doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00574.x | title=Gazelle ( ''Gazella'' spp.) behavioural ecology: Predicting animal behaviour for prehistoric environments in south-west Asia | date=2000 | last1=Martin | first1=Louise | journal=Journal of Zoology | volume=250 | pages=13–30 }}</ref> Newborn fawns weigh {{cvt|2|to|3|kg}}. They give birth twice yearly with one or two fawns.<ref name="Kingdon 1979">Kingdon, J. (1979). ''East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa, Volume 3, Part. D: Bovids''. University Chicago Press, Chicago pgs. 403–413.</ref> When giving birth, a female gazelle crouches as the newborn fawn drops to the ground, tearing the umbilical cord. The mother then licks the fawn clean of amniotic fluid and tissues. In addition, licking possibly also serves to stimulate the fawn's blood circulation, or to "label" it so its mother can recognize it by scent.<ref name="young">Walther, Fritz (1995). ''In the Country of Gazelles'', Chapter 6: "On mothers and their young", pp. 94-113. Indiana University Press.</ref>

In the first six hours of the fawn's life, it moves and rests with its mother, but eventually spends more time away from its mother or hides in the grass. The mother stays in the vicinity of the fawn and returns to nurse it daily. Mother and fawn may spend an hour together before the fawn goes and lies back down to wait for the next nursing. Mother gazelles may associate with other gazelle mothers, but the fawns do not gather into "kindergartens".<ref name="young"/> Mothers defend their young against jackals and baboons, but not against larger predators. Sometimes, a female can fend off a male baboon by headbutting him with her horns to defend her fawn.

Females exhibit pre-retrieval peaks in maternal vigilance. This behavior is conspicuous. Females all but cease other activities in favor of vigilance. They move slowly in the direction of the fawn's hiding spot, stopping frequently to scan the environment. Several females in our observations engaged in "sham" feeding behavior, in which they lowered their heads to the ground as if to feed before quickly raising them back up to scan. In one instance, a female appeared to actively search for predators by climbing to the top of a slight hill to scan prior to approaching her fawn's hiding spot.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Costelloe|first1=Blair R.|last2=Rubenstein|first2=Daniel I.|date=2018|title=Temporal structuring of vigilance behavior by female Thomson's gazelles with hidden fawns|journal=1. Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology 2. Department of Biology, University of Konstanz 3. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University}}</ref>

As the fawn approaches two months of age, it spends more time with its mother and less time hiding. Eventually, it stops hiding. Around this time, the fawn starts eating solid food, but continues to nurse from its mother. The pair also joins a herd. Young female gazelles may associate with their mothers as yearlings. Young males may also follow their mothers, but as they reach adolescence, they are noticed by territorial males, so cannot follow their mothers into territories. The mother may follow and stay with him, but eventually stops following him when he is driven away; the male will then join a bachelor group.<ref name="young"/>

== Physiological adaptations == In an experiment studying the effects of dehydration and heat stress on food intake and dry matter digestibility, Thomson's gazelle exhibited metabolic adaptations for desert environments. When exposed to heat stress alone, neither the food intake nor digestion of Thomson's gazelle was affected. Compared to some other East African ruminant species that did change their food intake and digestion in response to heat stress, Thomson's gazelle appears relatively well-adapted to periodic heat stress. However, Thomson's gazelle is a water-dependent species, and when exposed to dehydration, its food intake decreased. Food intake was further depressed when gazelles were exposed to dehydration in addition to heat stress. Some of this reduction can be attributed to decreased metabolism, which can help the animals conserve water.<ref name="Maloiy-2008">{{Cite journal|last1=Maloiy|first1=G. M. O.|last2=Kanui|first2=T. I.|last3=Towett|first3=P. K.|last4=Wambugu|first4=S. N.|last5=Miaron|first5=J. O.|last6=Wanyoike|first6=M. M.|date=October 2008|title=Effects of dehydration and heat stress on food intake and dry matter digestibility in East African ruminants|journal=Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Molecular & Integrative Physiology|volume=151|issue=2|pages=185–190|doi=10.1016/j.cbpa.2008.06.019|issn=1531-4332|pmid=18644247}}</ref> In another study comparing Thomson's gazelles and Grant's gazelles in foraging and behaviors to avoid predators, it was found that Thomson's gazelle adjusted its diet during drought to eat more trees and shrubs of [[Acacia]] species rather than undigestible dried grasses. Acacia species are high in tannins, anti-nutritional factors that can decrease metabolic performance.<ref name="Rautiainen-2015">{{Cite journal|last=Rautiainen|first=Heidi|date=2015|title=Foraging and anti-predation behavior of Thomson's gazelles (Gazella thomsoni) and Grant's gazelles (Gazella granti) at a waterhole|journal=|s2cid=54967317 |language=en}}</ref> However, gazelles appear to have the ability to detoxify and metabolize some tannins and moderate levels of condensed tannins may even be beneficial to ruminants by increasing amino acid absorption in the gut.<ref>McKie, M. R, Brown, D. L., Melesse, A. and Odenyo, A. A. 2004. Rumen microbes from

African ruminants can degrade Acacia angustissima diamino acids. Animal Feed

Science and Technology, 117:179-195.</ref><ref>McDonald, P., Edwards, R. A., Greenhalgh, J. F. D., Morgan, C. A., Sinclair, L. A. and

Wilkinson, R. G. 2010. Animal Nutrition. 7th edition. London: Prentice Hall.</ref>

==Status== [[File:Thomson's Gazelles - Ngorongoro Crater.jpg|thumb|Male gazelle with females]]

The population estimate is around 550,000. The population had declined 60% from 1978 to 2005.<ref>East, R. (1999). ''African Antelope Database'' IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.</ref> Threats to Thomson's gazelles are habitat modification, fire management, and road development. Surveys have reported steep declines (60–70%) over periods of about 20 years dating from the late 1970s in several places, including the main strongholds for the species: Serengeti, [[Masai Mara]], and [[Ngorongoro]].<ref name=iucn/>

==Cultural references== References to the Thomson's gazelle were an occasional running gag in ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]''.

The 2016 [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]] film ''[[Zootopia]]'' features an anthropomorphic Thomson's gazelle pop star, voiced by [[Shakira]].

The Thomson's gazelle served as the inspiration for [[Alexander McQueen (brand)|Alexander McQueen]]'s 1997 Autumn/Winter collection, ''It's a Jungle Out There''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Andrew|title=Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin|date=2015|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York, USA|isbn=978-1-4767-7673-6|page=179}}</ref>

==See also== *[[Grant's gazelle]] *[[Red-fronted gazelle]] *[[Springbok]], a visibly similar species *[[Impala]]

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading== {{Commons and category|Gazella thomsonii|Eudorcas thomsonii}} {{Wikispecies|Gazella thomsonii}} * ''Gazelles and Their Relatives'' by Fritz Walther (1984)

[[Category:Eudorcas|Thomson's gazelle]] [[Category:Antelopes of Sub-Saharan Africa]] [[Category:Mammals of Kenya]] [[Category:Mammals of Tanzania]] [[Category:Fauna of East Africa]] [[Category:Mammals described in 1884|Thomson's gazelle]] [[Category:Taxa named by Albert Günther|Thomson's gazelle]]