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| The Gazelle |
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Villa Gazelle has taken its name from one of the regions most beautiful animals, The Gazelle.
There are two main species of Gazelle in the region, the Arabian and the Sand.
The mature female gazelle weighs between 10 and 15 kgs. The male has thick horns while the female's horns are finer and straighter. Gazelles browse on shrubs and graze grasses.
The largest population is in the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary and numbers over 10,000 and is the largest single population in the region.
The sand gazelle, also known as the Reem Gazelle, is a less common species and prefers the sandy terrain at the edges of the Empty Quarter. It is the second largest of the antelopes that occur in the UAE and weighs up to 22 kgs.
Virtually extinct in the wild, there are occasional reports from the Liwa of small groups of these beautiful creatures. The elegantly curved horns of both males and females are considerably longer than those of other gazelles occurring in the area.
The animals are very light in colour, the head completely white in older animals, with back and flanks being light beige. The belly is white and there is no darker stripe between the white underside and the beige flanks and back of the gazelle. Contrasting with the overall pale body, are the black eyes, nostril and mouth. Their colouring is obviously an adaptation to the habitat they favour, which is the open sand. They are absent from the mountains.
The sand gazelle is the only antelope in this area that regularly gives birth to twins, and this usually in spring and autumn. The young spend their first days in shallow scrapes, or under a small bush, until they are strong enough to move with the adults.
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