The numerous subspecies survive on vegetation in grassland, steppe, wadis, mountain desert and in semidesert climates of Africa and Arabia.

Dorcas gazelles have longer ears and more strongly curved horns, which bow outwards then turn inwards and forwards at the tips.

In areas where they face human predation, they tend to be active only at night to minimize the risk of falling prey to hunters.

They occasionally stand on their hind legs to browse through trees and, after rain, they have been observed digging out bulbs from the ground.

[7] When threatened, they tail-twitch and make bouncing leaps with their heads held high (stotting), possibly to announce they have seen a predator.

During the breeding season, adult males tend to be territorial, and mark their range with dung middens.

In the first two weeks, the young gazelle lies curled up in a scrape on the ground or beneath bushes while the mother grazes close by.

To escape the cheetah, the fastest of carnivores, they run extremely fast and make zigs-zags, as does the Thomson's gazelle.

Dorcas gazelle pelts and horns are traded in Morocco for decorative and medicinal purposes, where they are the most commonly observed ungulate in markets, despite their protected status under Moroccan law.