Thomson's Gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii)

Thomson's Gazelle overview

Thomson's gazelle is a small, graceful antelope of the East African plains and the most common gazelle in the region. It is sandy fawn above and white below, with a bold black stripe along each flank, a white rump and a constantly flicking black tail. Males carry long, ringed horns that curve slightly backward; females have short, thin horns or none. The species is named after the Scottish explorer Joseph Thomson and is widely known as the tommy. Hundreds of thousands follow the wildebeest and zebra herds through the Serengeti, grazing the short grass the larger animals leave behind.

How Long Do Thomson's Gazelles Live?

Thomson's gazelles live 10–15 years in the wild and up to about 20 years in zoos. Most die far younger, because nearly every predator on the plains hunts them. Around half of all fawns are lost to predators such as jackals, hyenas, baboons and eagles in their first months.

How Much Does a Thomson's Gazelle Weigh?

Adult Thomson's gazelles weigh 15–35 kg (33–77 lb). Males weigh 20–35 kg and females 15–25 kg. That is about half the weight of the similar-looking Grant's gazelle, which shares the same plains and is often confused with it.

How Tall Is a Thomson's Gazelle?

A Thomson's gazelle stands 55–82 cm (22–32 in) tall at the shoulder and is about 0.8–1.2 m long. Males' horns reach 25–43 cm and are strongly ringed, while females' horns are thin, often crooked and only 7–15 cm long.

How Fast Can a Thomson's Gazelle Run?

Thomson's gazelles can run at about 80 km/h (50 mph), with some sources quoting up to 90 km/h. They are slower than a cheetah in a straight sprint but can keep running for longer and turn more sharply, and they often escape by zigzagging until the cat tires.

How Long Is a Thomson's Gazelle Pregnant?

A Thomson's gazelle is pregnant for five to six months, or roughly 160–180 days. The short pregnancy allows females to give birth twice a year, which is unusual among antelopes. The single fawn lies hidden in the grass for its first weeks while the mother feeds nearby.

What Do Thomson's Gazelles Eat?

Thomson's gazelles are herbivores that mostly eat short grass. In the wet season grass makes up about 90 percent of their food; in the dry season they add herbs, seeds and shrub leaves. They follow wildebeest and zebras, which crop and trample tall grass and expose tender regrowth.

Diet type: herbivore. Mainly short, fresh grasses, which make up about 90 percent of the diet in the wet season; in the dry season the gazelles also eat herbs, seeds, clover and leaves of shrubs.

Where Do Thomson's Gazelles Live?

Thomson's gazelles live on the open short-grass plains and savannas of Kenya and Tanzania. They prefer dry, firm ground with closely grazed grass and good visibility, and avoid tall grass and dense woodland. The Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Maasai Mara hold the main populations.

Are Thomson's Gazelles Endangered?

Thomson's gazelle is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, but its population is decreasing. Numbers have dropped steeply in several areas since the 1970s. The main pressures are habitat change, expanding farms and livestock, fencing, road building and hunting for meat.

Least Concern

Thomson's Gazelle fun facts

• Thomson's gazelles are the cheetah's most important prey on the Serengeti plains, making up the bulk of kills in many studies.
• Like springbok, tommies stot or pronk, bouncing on stiff legs to show predators they are fit and hard to catch.
• Females can breed twice a year, often conceiving again within weeks of giving birth.
• A hidden fawn has almost no scent, and its mother eats its droppings and drinks its urine to keep the hiding place odor-free.
• The black flank stripe and ever-wagging tail make tommies easy to tell apart from the larger, paler Grant's gazelle.

Rankings and comparisons

Thomson's Gazelle FAQ

Related animals

All mammals