Mountain gazelle  (Gazella gazella)

Of all Gazella species, the mountain gazelle is the most slender built with relatively the longest neck and legs (2) (3). The coat is fawn to dark-brown on the back, neck and head, while the belly and buttocks are pure white, with these tones being separated on the flanks by a dark narrow band (2) (3) (4) (5). The coat is short, sleek and glossy in summer, reflecting much of the sun’s radiation. In winter the pelage is much longer, dense and rainproof and not glossy, enabling the gazelles to withstand the heavy winter rains (800 to 1000 millimetres) in northern Israel; although seasonal variations in the pelage are much less in desert subspecies (2). The face has two conspicuous white stripes extending from the eyes towards the nostrils with dark-brown to black lower margins, coupled usually with a black spot on the muzzle above the nose (2) (3) (5). The male’s horns are quite long (22 to 29.4 centimetres), straight and thick basally, with a slight lyrate form and prominent rings, while those of females are generally shorter (5.8 to 11.5 centimetres), un-ringed, irregular in shape, and often bent, crooked or broken (2) (3). Males of northern subspecies have longer horns than southern desert subspecies, and those of the Persian Gulf region are shortest and more strongly outbowed. Northern Palestine gazelles (Gazella gazella gazella) are generally the largest of the mountain gazelle subspecies, while the southern desert subspecies are much lighter (only 12 to 16 kilograms), but longer-legged and with a relatively longer body and ears (2).