Thomson’s gazelles are iconic inhabitants of the East African savannas, particularly prevalent in the Serengeti region of Kenya and Tanzania. These agile antelopes are important to their ecosystem, with their survival linked to their diet. Understanding their diet provides insight into their ecological niche and adaptations.
Primary Dietary Components
Thomson’s gazelles are primarily grazers, with short, nutritious grasses forming the bulk of their diet. They show a strong preference for young, fresh grass shoots. Specific grass species consumed include Themeda, Cynodon, and Harpachne species. This dietary focus on grasses classifies them as graminivores.
While grasses are their staple, Thomson’s gazelles exhibit some dietary flexibility. They supplement their grass intake with forbs, which are non-grass herbaceous plants, and occasionally leaves and twigs from shrubs and trees. This browsing behavior becomes more pronounced when grasses are less abundant, such as during dry seasons. Examples of foliage and seeds they might consume include those from Acacia, Balanites, Boscia, Sida, and Solanum species.
Feeding Habits and Water Needs
Thomson’s gazelles employ a selective grazing strategy, picking nutritious parts of plants. Their relatively narrow snouts allow them to be highly selective in their food choices, ensuring they consume high-quality vegetation. They often follow larger herbivores like wildebeest and zebras, benefiting from the shorter grass left behind after these animals have trampled taller vegetation, making it more accessible for the gazelles.
Thomson’s gazelles are known for their ability to obtain water from the plants they eat. During the rainy season, the high moisture content in fresh grasses and succulent forbs provides sufficient hydration, reducing their reliance on open water sources. This adaptation allows them to persist in areas where freestanding water might be scarce, allowing them to go for extended periods without directly drinking water.
Dietary Flexibility and Seasonal Shifts
The diet of Thomson’s gazelles adapts to the changing seasons in their savanna habitat. During the wet season, when fresh, green grasses are abundant and highly nutritious, their diet consists primarily of these grasses, often making up 80% to 90% of their intake.
As the environment transitions into the dry season, the availability and quality of grasses decrease. Thomson’s gazelles then increase their consumption of other plant materials. They will increasingly browse on leaves, shoots, twigs, and seeds from woody plants and bushes, as well as forbs, to meet their nutritional requirements. This shift allows them to survive periods of drought and reduced forage quality.