Sand Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica)

Sorry but never seen or heard of this species before, is that a male in the foreground? Do the females have shorter horns than the male?

That is indeed a male in the foreground. The females have long slender horns. Gazella subgutturosa marica

sharjah desert park

Oryx said:

That is indeed a male in the foreground. The females have long slender horns. Gazella subgutturosa marica

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I read somewhere that with Gazella subgutturosa females don't have have any horns whereas with every other species in the genera Gazella, Nanger, and Eudorcas, the females just have thinner horns that are sometimes shorter

ZSL has done considerable work with this species in Saudi Arabia:Antelope breeding in Saudi Arabia | Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

A pity none of the species involved can be seen at either of its collections.

IanRRobinson said:

ZSL has done considerable work with this species in Saudi Arabia:Antelope breeding in Saudi Arabia | Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

A pity none of the species involved can be seen at either of its collections.

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This is a very interesting link, thank you for sharing it with me Ian!

The Zoological Society of London really does great conservation work abroad with the most overlooked species in the most overlooked places

If any of the ZSL parks were to keep Arabian sand gazelles Whipsnade Zoo would be a good place to have them, Id like to see them make a comeback to North American and European zoos

They used to be more common in North America, they had them at San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Dallas Zoo, San Antonio Zoo, and possibly a few other places, it is sad that those days are gone now...

The animals in US zoos were all hybrids with Dorcas I believe. The animals at Dallas did not look like these animals.

jbnbsn99 said:

The animals in US zoos were all hybrids with Dorcas I believe. The animals at Dallas did not look like these animals.

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Wow I didn't realize that the "Arabian goitered gazelles" in the US in recent times were hybridized with Dorcas gazelles, why would they let the two species breed, both Dorcas gazelles and Arabian goitered gazelles are endangered species, alsl wouldn't they want to keep them pure ? and wouldnt Dorcas gazelle X Arabian goitered gazelle be been sterile ? Arabian goitered gazelle X Persian goitered gazelle are usually sterile

Goitered gazelles and Dorcas gazelles don't even belong to the same subgenus

Goitered gazelles, Cuviers gazelles, and Slender horned gazelles belong to the subgenus Trachelocele

Whereas Dorcas gazelles, Chinkara gazelles, Mountain gazelles, and Spekes gazelles belong to the subgenus Gazella

G&G has a good write-up on the scenario. The hybridization probably happened before the animals were imported.

jbnbsn99 said:

The animals in US zoos were all hybrids with Dorcas I believe. The animals at Dallas did not look like these animals.

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That is news to me! I am familiar with the polymorphisms in the founder group though. Any paper on the subject o hybridization Arabian sand gazelle and African dorcas?