How Antelope Are Different From Gazelles

Though antelope and gazelles belong to the same family, there are obvious differences between these animals. The surprising thing is that all gazelles are antelope, while not all antelope are gazelles.

Confused yet? Don’t stress, 5-Minute Crafts will tell you what the differences between antelope and gazelles are.

There are 91 species of antelope in the world and only 19 of them belong to the gazelle family.

• Size
  Gazelles are relatively small and are elegant animals. An average African gazelle weighs about 65 lb and has slender legs and an athletic body. At the same time, the weight of some antelope can reach up to 2,000 pounds. They can have large bodies and big heads that don’t necessarily match the word, “elegant.”

• Coloring
  Antelope have varied appearances and colors. They can be wearing brown, black, or grayish fur, either with or without stripes. However, the more common colors in their coloring are brown and white. All gazelles have similar coloring — a light, fawn-colored body with white underparts or rump patches and a dark stripe along the body and the face with contrasting dark markings.

• Horns
  In most antelope species, it’s solely males that wear horns. Depending on the species, they can be straight, ridged, curved, or twisted. Among gazelles, however, both males and females wear horns that are broad at the base and are sharply pointed. Even so, males’ horns are a bit larger than the ones females have.

• Speed
  Gazelles are much faster than many other antelope. They can sustain a high speed of running for 20 minutes and possess a special ability called stotting. When a predator is chasing a gazelle, it can push off the ground with all 4 hooves while boasting an arched back and its legs out straight, thus, making impressive leaps and breaking away from the chase. Even though other antelope are able to jump high, they cannot jump like gazelles.

• Habitat
  Different types of antelope can live in grasslands, deserts, near bodies of water, and wetlands. Gazelles, on the other hand, only live in deserts.