Water Economy of the Dorcas Gazelle

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ALTHOUGH the physiology of the camel, kangaroo-rat, jerboa and various domestic animals of desert regions has been examined in some detail1,2, nothing is known of the heat and water relations of that most typical desert mammal, the gazelle. It has occasionally been suggested that gazelles may be able to live indefinitely on dry food without water, like desert rodents, but no experiments have been made to determine if this is true or whether, like camels, they need to drink. For this reason an investigation of the water economy of the Dorcas gazelle, Gazella dorcas dorcas (L.) is now being pursued here.