Colouration of Gazella pelzelni
I have adopted Gazella pelzelni as a standard, for my studies of adaptive colouration in Gazella and Eudorcas.
METHODS
I disregard all hues, focussing only on pale/dark differentiations.
I estimate tone (from pale to dark) on a scale of 1-10. 1= white, 10= black, and thus 5= medium 'grey'.
All numbers in this Post refer to this tonal scale.
'dark' flank-band up to 7
'pale' flank-band about 3.5
dorsal panel 4 up to 5
ischial stripe (vertical) 5
neck about 4
ventral haunch about 4
outer surface of lower foreleg 4
posterior surface of lower foreleg 2
outer surface of lower hindleg 3.5-4
outer surface of upper foreleg at least 5
shoulder about 5
malar stripe up to 8
chin 1
pale facial stripe, medial to eye 1
pale facial stripe, on side of rostrum 2-3
forehead up to 6
cheek about 3
nasal about 4
tail 9
root of tail 7
Dark rostral spot minimal in adult male, present in adult female
Comments
Size of ear pinnae:
The size and proportions of the ear pinnae of Gazella pelzelni are remarkably variable among individuals/populations.
The ear pinnae are larger (longer and wider) in G. pelzelni than in the otherwise fairly similar species, Gazella spekei.
In both Gazella dorcas and Gazella cuvieri, the size of the ear pinnae is precocial. The ear pinnae are noticeably large in juveniles.
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