Dorcas Gazelles

One of the most desert-adapted gazelles, dorcas gazelles may go their entire lives without drinking any water, obtaining all needed moisture from the plants they eat. They can withstand very high temperatures, although during hot weather they are primarily active at dawn, dusk, and throughout the night. Herds wander over large areas searching for food, and tend to congregate in areas where recent rainfall has stimulated plant growth. Adult males are territorial, and establish dung middens throughout their range. A conspicuous display is used in the formation of these fecal piles, with the male first pawing at the ground, then stretching over the scraped area to urinate, and then crouching with his anus just above the ground, at which point he deposits his dung. The preorbital glands, although functional, are not used for marking. The alarm call, which sounds like a duck's quack, is made through the nose, which inflates during the process in a fashion similar to Speke's gazelle, although not as prominent.