The national animal of Israel is the gazelle, specifically the mountain gazelle. This species is revered in the nation for its natural beauty and the values that it is seen to embody for the people of Israel. There are three different species of gazelle to be found in Israel, but it is the mountain gazelle that is the national animal.
Gazelle are a very abundant group and there are many different species spread across different areas of the world.
In many cultures, they hold symbolic significance in one way or another, and this is certainly true of the mountain gazelle in Israel.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Israel?
The national animal of Israel is the mountain gazelle.
This is a species of gazelle that is also sometimes known as the true gazelle or Palestine mountain gazelle.
They are a horned species, with both males and females having horns.
Males typically have much larger horns that have rings around them.
Males are also much large than females.
A male will weigh up to 30 kilos, while a female usually will not exceed 25 kilos.
They are extremely fast runners and can achieve speeds up to 50 miles an hour.
Historically, they had a much greater range than they do today, though they are still fairly widely distributed, if unevenly.
They are found in greatest numbers in Israel, but also in the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and Turkey.
Small populations also exist in Jordan and the Gaza Strip.
They are well adapted, then, to dry and arid conditions.
They only need little water and get a lot of their moisture from the vegetation they eat.
That said, they do need water regularly, even if only in small amounts.
As their name suggests, they spend most of their time in high elevations at the tops of mountains but also on hills and in valleys.
They enjoy the breezes of the higher elevations helping them to avoid the worst of the desert heat.
They feed mostly on grasses and shrubs.
They are grazers and tend to spend most of their time eating and browsing on low-hanging branches and young shoots.
They are in a fairly dire position in terms of their conservation; numbers have been steadily fluctuating for the last century or so, but today they are considered to be an endangered species.
Conservation efforts are being undertaken to ensure their continued survival but they face a great many challenges in the near future.
Why is the gazelle the national animal of Israel?
The mountain gazelle is the national animal of Israel for a variety of reasons.
On the one hand, they are seen as symbols of freedom, pride, and liberation.
The mountain gazelle is seen as an image of emancipation in its ability to roam far and wide and even go long periods without water.
This, as a symbol, is very important to the people of Israel specifically but also for all of the same reasons it would be important to virtually any culture on Earth.
Gazelle are seen as one of the nation’s main wild embodiments of this sentiment.
On the other hand, they are simply seen as more literal embodiments of the natural beauty of Israel.
They are the perfect example of the wildlife in this part of the world, well adapted to life in the desert but also being able to seek out the moister, wetter environments after rains when they are in need of water.
The other question, though, is of course one of conservation.
As mentioned, the mountain gazelle is highly endangered and faces a serious existential threat.
One way that the Israeli government hopes to bring attention to this fact is by making the mountain gazelle their national animal.
How many mountain gazelle are left in the world?
It’s estimated that the total global population of mountain gazelle sits at around 2,000.
Some estimates put it a little higher at around 5,000.
There may be some smaller populations in some parts of the world that we are not fully aware of, but in any case they are certainly in a dire position.
Their numbers have gone up and down over the years, being reduced as low as 500 in 1948, and subsequently bouncing back to around 10,000.
Precise estimates are hard to give for an animal like this, but it is certainly no more than 5,000.
What is the difference between a sand gazelle and a mountain gazelle?
Mountain gazelles are typically smaller than the sand gazelle, being shorter and weighing a lot less.
In mountain gazelle, only the males have horns, and they tend to be a lot shorter than the horns of the mountain gazelle.
Mountain gazelle also maintain territory year round, whereas sand gazelle show a great degree of change and tend to move around a lot.
So, the differences are fairly subtle since they are all gazelle and it may be hard to tell them apart to the untrained eye.
But the most likely gazelle you will see in Israel is the mountain gazelle, certainly.
Though they are in a precarious position, then, this is all the more reason why the mountain gazelle has been made the national animal of Israel.
They are symbolically important for many different reasons to the people of Israel and there will need to be major, concerted efforts to ensure their continued survival.