Gazella leptoceros

Slender-horned Gazelle (scientific name: Gazella leptoceros) English: Slender-horned Gazelle, French: Gazelle Leptocère, Gazelle à Cornes Fines, Spanish: Gacela de Astas Delgadas, Arabic: Ghazal abiad, Reem, German: Dunengazelle, has 2 subspecies.

Slender-horned gazelles live in groups, usually consisting of 2-20 individuals. The desert environment is extremely hot, and slender-horned gazelles mostly forage at night and in the early morning. The species has less need to drink water, and at these times, they are able to use the dew formed on the leaves and the higher moisture content in plants to replenish all the water needed by the body. This is a nomadic species that wanders through the dunes in search of vegetation. The main cooling mechanism is the reflective white fur and specially modified nasal passages that cool the blood. Deceptively gentle in appearance, the Slender-horned Gazelle can become aggressive in captivity. Males often engage in fierce fighting as they defend the loosely established territories they have established.

The gestation period of the Slender-horned Gazelle is 156-169 days. One calf is born per litter, and the weaning period is about 3 months. Females reach sexual maturity at 6-9 months, and males at 18 months. The average lifespan is 14 years.

The Slender-horned Gazelle was listed as endangered in 1996 because the total population was estimated to be no more than a few hundred individuals, well below the threshold of 2,500 mature individuals, and continued to decline. The species is found only in a few areas of its original range and in highly fragmented and isolated populations, all of which contain less than 250 mature individuals. It is suspected that poaching may have pushed the species below the Critically Endangered threshold, but field data to support this are extremely limited.

The main threat to the Slender-horned Gazelle is uncontrolled poaching, although disturbance, increased human activity and degradation of natural habitats (especially desert vegetation) due to desertification can also have a negative impact. The availability of cheap but sturdy motorcycles and quad bikes has allowed poachers to access almost all areas of the species' range. Poaching became more prevalent following the events of the Arab Spring in the 2010s and the associated reductions in controls and economic hardship. Hunters have posted hundreds of images of dead gazelles, including some of the Slender-horned Gazelle, on social media sites.

Listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) 2016 ver3.1 - Endangered (EN).

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Origin: Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.
Uncertain: Chad and Niger.
The known range is patchy. There are confirmed records from Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt west of the Nile; there are some reports from Niger and Chad, but these are not supported by any conclusive evidence, and it is unclear whether the species ever occurs on the southern side of the Sahara.
The Slender-horned Gazelle prefers sand dunes (ergs), other sandy terrain, and inter-dune depressions. Inhabits areas of widespread ephemeral vegetation. Inhabits sandy and rocky deserts with acacia forests and sparsely vegetated sandy depressions.

The Slender-Horned Gazelle is 100-110 cm long, 65-72 cm tall at the shoulder, and 15-20 cm long tail; it weighs 20-30 kg. It is the palest gazelle species, with cream or yellowish-white upper body and sides, pure white underside, and a faint stripe on the side. The facial markings are relatively light, consisting of a reddish nose stripe and a stripe from the eye to the nose. The slender horns are located in front of the ears and are present in both sexes. The males are longer, slightly "S" shaped, 30-41 cm long, while the females are significantly smaller and thinner, 20-38 cm long. The hooves are slightly wider to facilitate walking on sandy ground for long distances.