Visit Uganda for Gazelles antelopes which found In Karamoja Sub-region; Grant’s gazelle (Nanger granti) is a large, pale gazelle with long horns and legs. They have a distinct rectangular, white shape on the hindquarters and a contrasting black stripe running down the thigh. Its are closely related and physically similar to Thomson’s gazelle. Its name in Swahili is “swala granti.” With Mirama hills safaris welcoming you to Uganda explore Kidepo valley national park for those incredible antelope species.
The gazelles antelopes are known for their speed, grace, and beauty. They have cloven hooves, two toes, and multi-chambered stomachs that allow them to digest fibrous plant matter. Their coats are usually golden, reddish tan, or gray, with white on the face, rump, and beneath.
Giants’ gazelles are the type of antelope found in Uganda and other parts East Africa like Kenya and Tanzania. Grant’s gazelles are well adapted to semi-arid regions with sparse vegetation. They are migratory and prefer open grass plains, but can also be found in savannah areas. In Uganda, Grant’s gazelles can be found in the Kidepo valley national park and Pian Upe, Matheniko, and Bokora wildlife reserves in Karamoja region.
Grant’s gazelles are large, pale antelopes with long legs and horns. They have a white rectangular shape on their hindquarters and a black stripe running down their thigh. Males are larger than females and have longer thicker horns.
These antelopes are noted for their beauty appearance, grace and speed in running from escaping the predators. Most are distinguished by upswept, back-curving horns. Their coats of hair are usually golden, reddish tan, or gray, often with white beneath and on the face and rump. Some are strikingly marked.
These Antelopes have a wide range of habitats depending on the species. These habitat include; plains, deserts, savannahs, grasslands, swamps and woodlands. Each species of antelope has adaptations that make it suitable to its habitat and to protect against the predators that why the giant gazelles prefer living in open plains of savannah mostly for the protection from predators.
Antelopes feed and rest periodically throughout the day and night. Their most diet consists entirely of grasses, shrubs and vegetation. Pronghorns are especially fond of wildflowers and fruits and can eat some plants, such as paper flower and woolly the pappus hairs that are poisonous to other animals.
These gazelles sleep for short periods of about 5 minutes at a time, making up a total of a single hour per day. Gazelles are extremely alert to sounds and movements, relying on visual awareness of one another to stay in contact. Their strong sense of hearing, sighting and smell makes them to balance their vulnerability and small size on the open plains.
As species of prey, gazelles rely on both speed and camouflage to survive. Most gazelles, including the Adder, are two-toned – shaded brown on top and white beneath – which helps to obscure and camouflage them from predators. Spotting may be good, means of rapid escape or jumping over obstructions. This cannot be true in Thomson’s gazelles because they do not spot when a predator is less than about 40 m away. An anti-ambush behavior, animals in tall grass may leap into the air to detect potential predators.
Due to the extreme heat of its desert environment, the slender-horned gazelle is crepuscular, feeding mostly at night and early morning. A normally quite animal, gazelles has signal alarm by a snort or flick of the tail and the herd reacts by withdrawing to a safe distance. Gazelles have delicate but sturdy legs. Their legs are light because they only have muscles at the top. Their strong hind limbs and rump muscles help propel the gazelle forward when it runs away from predators.
In the mating season Males will also lift their forelegs during their so-called mating March while making moaning or grunting sounds. The females will respond by urinating. They may then walk away and walk around in circles until they are ready to mate. When it’s time to mate, Females will be submissive and hold their tails out but time not yet females won’t open the tail.
They have one to two babies but its very rear to have two though sometimes it produced young at a time. Baby gazelles are called fawns or calves. To keep her calves safe from predators, a female gazelle will hide her babies in tall grasses. While the young are still nursing, they stay with their mother’s herd.
However, larger species tend to prioritize strength and endurance over speed. Antelopes generally have larger, more robust bodies compared to gazelles. Gazelles are generally medium-sized antelopes. They have slender bodies and a light build, which contributes to their extreme agility and speed.
The gazelles rarely live more than eight years in nature, but in captivity they can live between 12 and 15 years wild but it can live beyond that.
