Overview
Often a little smaller than the Southern Grants Gazelle, with horns that are usually (but not always) smaller and more parallel. The notata race is darker than other Grants and the male has a well-marked lateral flank band. In the lacuum race, the flank band is absent in both sexes.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Nanger
- Species
- Nanger granti
Habitat
The Grant's gazelle is found in East Africa and lives in open grass plains and is frequently found in shrublands; it avoids areas with high grass where the visibility of predators is compromised. They also occur in semiarid areas and are relatively well adapted to dry areas, relying on more browse or leafy material during dry seasons to supplement their intake of water. Distribution- Southwestern Ethiopia east of the Omo River and extending northward in the Rift Valley to Lake Zwai, and north of the equator in Kenya except for the range of the Bright gazelle in the northwest. For convenience in record keeping, we follow Rowland Ward in using the equator to separate the northern Grant from the southern Grant. (This is a change from earlier editons.)
Diet
This animal both grazes and browses based on seasonal availability.
Behavior
They are migratory animals, but travel in the opposite direction of most of the other ungulates, such as Thomson's gazelles, zebras, and wildebeest, which are more water dependent. They can subsist on vegetation in waterless, semiarid areas, where they face little competition.
Hunting
Hunting methods will vary based on topography of the specific area, but generally they are pursued through spot and stalk methods, glassing from vantage points and then pursuing a herd containing a desired male. Hunters should be prepared for potentially long shots.
Conservation Status
Grant's Gazelle as an overall species (comprising both the Northern and Southern Grant's Gazelle) is listed as Least Concern by IUCN. This animal remains widespread within its range in East Africa. Total numbers are estimated at 140,000, with about 30% occurring in protected areas. Only about 25% of the population is considered stable or increasing and the rest declining. If this downward trend continues, then it is only a matter of time before the species becomes Near Threatened.