Cuvier's Gazelle

Cuvier's gazelle is one of the darkest and smallest of the gazelle species, standing 60–69 cm (1.97–2.26 ft) tall, with an average weight of 35 kg (77 lb). It is characterized by a distinctive wide, dark band that runs along the sides of the animal, which separates the brown dorsal parts from the white ventral parts. They possess long, slender ears. While both sexes have horns between 10 and 15 cm (3.9 and 5.9 in) long, the male's horns are more ribbed and have greater mass. The purpose of the dark bands that run parallel along the side of the animal is to aid in countershading, having ventral body pelage that is more lightly colored that the dorsal surface to counteract the effect of the body's self-shadowing.

Cuvier's gazelle inhabits the Atlas Mountains in Northwestern Africa. It is found in many different types of landscapes. The preference is for sandy or stony hills and plateaus. They also occupy areas of regenerating forests and lush pine forests. During the early morning and late evening they come out of the mountains to graze in the low grasslands. Then in the afternoon, they will travel back up the mountain into the forests and find a cool place to spend the day.

As herbivorous ruminants, the diet of Cuvier's gazelle consists entirely of leaves, grasses, and other vegetation. They will consume large amounts of greenery and find a cool place during the day to finish chewing their cuds, remnant wads of food that return from the stomach (eructation) to be chewed a second time for further digestion. Their main defense is their alertness. When sensing something suspicious, they will set off an alert signal by flicking their tails and performing a strong gait, of jumping into the air and having all four hooves land on the ground at the same time. Along with their alertness, they are also one of the fastest gazelles, reaching and sustaining top speeds over 50 mph. Cuvier's gazelle tend to live in social groups of three or four during mating season, but usually not more than eight. Groups tend to contain one male and up to three females each with up to two offspring. During the mating season, the dominant males will force the younger males out of the social group; they will form bachelor groups. Then, the females will leave the group to give birth. After giving birth, females will join bachelor groups and live the rest of mating season with them.