Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Grant's Gazelle

Nanger granti

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A slender antelope with pale fawn coat and white belly, and ringed, lyre-shaped horns measuring 50-80 cm in the males. It is recognised at once by the broad white patch on its hindquarters, edged in black, which makes it look as though it is wearing trousers.

Weight

35 kg – 80 kg

Size

75 cm – 1.7 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Some 140,000 individuals according to the 2016 IUCN assessment

SavannaDesertHerbivore Diurnal In herds Savanna Desert Mammal

43countries 4parks86same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt can go its whole life without drinking, living off the water in plants.
It tolerates body temperatures that would be fatal to almost any other mammal, an adaptation to the extreme heat of its plains.
It does not need to drink: it gets all its water from plants, and on migration it moves in the opposite direction to most African ungulates, away from water.
Only 25% of its populations are considered stable or increasing; if the trend continues, the IUCN expects to reclassify it as Near Threatened.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Open savannah and semi-desert
Sexual maturity: Males: about 3 years | Females: around 420-450 days
Gestation / incubation: 198 - 199 days
Litter / clutch size: 1 young; the female leaves the herd to give birth and the calf stays hidden in the vegetation for the first weeks

Sources consulted: IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group 2016, IUCN Red List (e.T8971A50186774); Animal Diversity Web; Mpala Live! Field Guide; African Wildlife Foundation; Arctander et al. 1996, Heredity 76(5)