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A gazelle is any of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' or formerly considered to belong to it. The name gazelle comes from Arabic name غزال '. Six species are included in two genera, ''Eudorcas'' and ''Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera. The genus ''Procapra'' has also been considered a subgenus of ''Gazella'', and its members are also referred to as gazelles, though they are not dealt with in this article. Gazelles are known as swift animals-–some are able to run at bursts as high as , or run at a sustained speed of .〔"Gazelle". The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. 2007, Columbia University Press.〕 Gazelles are mostly found in the deserts, grasslands, and savannas of Africa; but they are also found in southwest and central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. They tend to live in herds and will eat less coarse, easily digestible plants and leaves. Gazelles are rather small antelopes, most standing high at the shoulder, and are generally fawn-colored. The gazelle genera are ''Gazella'', ''Educratria'', and ''Nanger''. The taxonomy of these genera is a confused one, and the classification of species and subspecies has been an unsettled issue. Currently, the genus ''Gazella'' is widely considered to contain about 13 species. Four further species are extinct – the red gazelle, the Arabian gazelle, the Queen of Sheba's gazelle, and the Saudi gazelle. Most surviving gazelle species are considered threatened to varying degrees. Closely related to the true gazelles are the Tibetan and Mongolian gazelles (species of the genus ''Procapra''), the Blackbuck of Asia, and the African Springbok. One widely familiar gazelle is the African species Thomson's gazelle (''Eudorcas thomsoni''), which is around in height at the shoulder and is coloured brown and white with a distinguishing black stripe. The males have long, often curved, horns. Like many other prey species, Tommies and Springboks (as they are familiarly called) exhibit a distinctive behaviour of stotting (running and jumping high before fleeing) when they are threatened by predators, such as cheetahs. ==Etymology and name== Gazelle is derived from the Arabic name غزال '. The first Romance language to adopt it was Middle French, and the word entered the English language around 1600 from the French.〔(Merriam-Webster - Gazelle ), Accessed: 22 December 2009〕 Arab people traditionally hunted the gazelle. Appreciated for its grace, it is a symbol most commonly associated in Arabic literature with female beauty. One of the traditional themes of Arabic love poetry involves comparing the gazelle with the beloved, and linguists theorize ''ghazal'', the word for love poetry in Arabic, is related to the word for gazelle. It is related that the Caliph Abd al-Malik (646–705) freed a gazelle he had captured because of her resemblance to his beloved: O likeness of Layla, never fear! For I am your friend, today, O wild deer! Then I say, after freeing her from her fetters: You are free for the sake of Layla, for ever!〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gazelle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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