Gerenuk have never been an abundant species and make up less than 0.5% of the total biomass of hoofed mammals in Tsavo National Park where it is a protected species and...
Female gerenuks give birth to 1 offspring, rarely 2, after a gestation period of 165 days, any time throughout the year depending on the quality of available nutrition.
The gerenuk inhabits the dry, brushy region of east Africa from the Serengeti plain of Tanzania north along the coast through Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and into southern Somalia.
As a game animal, the gerenuk is protected in most of its range in the form of tags or permits, and about 10% of the gerenuk population occurs in protected areas.
Although it has a limited population and range, the gerenuk has been hunted for trophies and bush meat as an uncommon game animal in Africa for over 200 years.
If current trends continue, the gerenuk may eventually disappear from large parts of its present distribution due to hunting, human encroachment, deforestation, civil conflicts, agricultural expansion, and drought.
The gerenuk population is decreasing and the largest surviving populations occur in south-western Ethiopia and the northern and eastern rangelands of Kenya.
Although the gerenuk is currently "Near Threatened", it's close to meeting the threshold for "Vulnerable" due to a decline of 25% over the last 14 years.
Two gerenuk subspecies are recognized, the southern gerenuk or Scalter's gazelle, and the larger, northern gerenuk, also known as the Waller's gazelle.
Gerenuk have evolved several anti-predator adaptations for survival as juveniles and adults, such as remaining motionless, hiding in foliage, and freezing at the approach of danger.
The gerenuk is one of the world's most recognizable antelopes due to its defining features, and is known as the "giraffe gazelle" due to its long neck and long, thin legs.
Because they do not form large populations and their food is of limited supply, gerenuk exhibit strange social interactions as males are solitary and territorial and females are social and form...
Gerenuk are preyed on by a diverse set of large predators, such as cheetahs, leopards, lions, African wild dogs, hyaenas, servals, honey badgers, caracals, and eagles.
The gerenuk is one of the most exclusive browsers because it has the ability to stand on its lengthy hind legs and use its long neck to obtain tree leaves that...