The use of tail-flagging and white rump-patch in alarm behavior of goitered gazelles

Tail signals and rump patch exposure in ungulates are well-documented phenomena, but there is no consensus about their functional significance, which has remained disputed. In addition, these patterns have been analyzed for only a limited number of ungulate species; and until now did not include goitered gazelles. This paper, then, will discuss these aspects of goitered gazelle antipredator behavior. I chose human harassments as predator threats and found that tail-flagging, stotting and presentation of the white rump-patch were displayed mostly by adult females, less often by adult males, and least in sub-adults. Adult females used tail-flagging and rump-patch exposure primarily for communication with their fawns especially frequently in July when fawns finished their hiding period. In August, adult females further strengthened their alarm signals by frequent stotting. Unlike females, adult males displayed tail- flagging and stotting quite randomly over months, likely depending on frequencies of encountered threats. However, females and males both displayed tail-flagging significantly more frequently than stotting (with a few exceptions) suggesting that tail-flagging has an independent communicative function, even if one signal amplifies the other. Goitered gazelles used tail-flagging and white rump-patch exposure likely as an alarm and cohesive signal for conspecifics, and adult females communicated by these signals mostly with their fawns.