Grant's gazelles, near Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Grant's gazelles resemble Thomson's gazelles, but are noticeably larger and easily distinguished by the broad white patch on the rump that extends upward onto the back. The white patch on the Thomson's gazelle stops at the tail. Some varieties of Grant's have a black stripe on each side of the body like the Thomson's; in others the stripe is very light or absent. A black stripe runs down the thigh. Grant's gazelle's lyre-shaped horns are stout at the base, clearly ringed and measuring 18 to 32 inches long. On the females black skin surrounds the teats, with white hair on the udder. This probably helps the young recognize the source of milk. When a fawn is older and moving about with its mother, the dark stripe on the white background may serve as a beacon for it to follow. Grant's gazelles are especially fond of open grass plains, and although they frequent bushy savannas, they avoid areas of high grass. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Broadcasting Company and traveled to Africa from June 1966 to early August 1966.