Arabian gazelle
The Arabian gazelle is a species of gazelle from the Arabian Peninsula. There are approximately 5,000 – 7,000 mature individuals in the wild. It is now synonymous with Gazella erlangeri, commonly known as Erlanger's gazelle or Neumann's gazelle.
Taxonomy
Until recently, it was only known from a single lectotype specimen mistakenly thought to have been collected on the Farasan Islands in the Red Sea in 1825. A 2013 genetic study of the lectotype specimen revealed that skull and skin do not stem from the same individual but belong to two distinct lineages of the mountain gazelle, necessitating restriction of the lectotype to the skin to conserve nomenclatural stability. A later study formalized the use of Gazella arabica for the Arabian lineage of the mountain gazelle, and synonymized Gazella erlangeri with G. arabica.Ecology and behavior
Ecology
The Arabian gazelle lives in grassland, shrubland, and desert habitat types. They predominantly feed on the leaves, flowers, and fruits of acacia trees and other trees and shrubs. Arabian gazelles are selective browsers, preferring woody plants over grasses. They predominantly feed on all fours, but may rear up on their hind legs to access higher food. They share their habitat with many other herbivores, including Dorcas gazelles, mountain gazelles, Nubian ibex, Asiatic wild ass, and Arabian oryx. Their main predators are Arabian wolves.Arabian gazelles are crepuscular, most active in the early morning and evening when temperatures are cooler. In the heat of midday, they rest to chew their cud.
They have been found with antibodies to the parasite toxoplasmosis. They contract gastrointestinal diseases including clostridiosis and salmonellosis, as well as chronic renal fibrosis.
Reproduction
Offspring survival becomes more likely as birth weight increases, and birth weight is more reliant on heritability than on maternal effects.Conservation
The Arabian gazelle is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The population is declining: estimated at 12,000 mature individuals in 2008, the species now numbers approximately 5,000 to 7,000 as of 2016.There are many environmental factors affecting the population density of Arabian gazelles, such as human hunting, predation, competition, and climate change. The decline in population is due to human disturbances such as construction, livestock competition, capture for the pet trade, and illegal hunting. Other factors include temperature change, and predation ; as the researchers stated in their findings that, "Wolf encounter rate had a significant negative effect on G. arabica population size, while G. dorcas population size had a significant positive effect, suggesting that wolf predation shapes the population size of both gazelle species."