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.  I 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.  Although 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 mind when I mentioned the word “Gazelle”.

The Famous Antelope

The Thomson’s Gazelle happens to be one of the most famous prey species out there, since they typically live in open grasslands or plains. This means they are in plain sight for  hungry predators such as Cheetahs, Wild Dogs and of course, Lions. Normally, you would think these animals wouldn’t have a chance against any one of these deadly predators but this isn’t the case. The Thomson’s Gazelle has a few characteristics that makes the Predator vs. Prey matchup a little more interesting.

The Popular Antelope

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.

The One Instance Where Speed Doesn’t Kill

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.

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!