African Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 5(28), pp. 5137-5141, 30 November, 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJMR ISSN 1996-0808 ©2011 Academic Journals DOI: 10.5897/AJMR11.1234 Full Length Research Paper Scrotal, testicular and semen characteristics of the mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella) males Al-Eissa Mohammed Saad 1 *, Alhamidi A. R. 2 , Mohamed Abd El Kader Sandouka 3 , Ibraheem A. S. 1 , Hamad Al-Yahya 4 , AL-Farraj S. 4 , Saad Alkahtani 4 and Al-Dahmash B. 5 1 Department of Biology, College of Science, Hail University, Hail, Saudi Arabia. 2 Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 3 King Khalid Wildlife Research Center (KKWRC), Saudi Arabia. 4 Department of Biology, Teachers College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 5 Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Health Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Accepted 11 November, 2011 This study aimed to evaluate seasonal differences in the characteristics of various male reproductive organs and in semen quality. Ten adult males of mountain gazelles (Gazella gazelle) were used in this study during summer and winter. The results showed significant differences in July to September versus October to December for volume (P≤0.05), motility and viability (P≤0.01), progressive motility, and morphologic alteration (P≤0.001). Hence it was concluded that sperm characteristics are strongly influenced by season. This study therefore suggested that the suitable period for semen collection is the breeding season (October to December), which has a good quality for manipulation and long-term preservation of G. gazelle in Saudi Arabia. Key words: Gazelle, reproduction, semen, sperm, cryopreservation. INTRODUCTION The Arabian sand gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa marica) is classified as vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (IUCN Red, 2009) and listed under appendix II of the convention on migratory species (CMS, 2005). One subspecies is listed on the IUCN Red List: the Arabian sand gazelle (G. s. marica) is classified as vulnerable (IUCN Red, 2009). Nevertheless, the following sub- species are all considered vulnerable: Hillier's goitered gazelles or Mongolian gazelles (G. s. hillieriana), Yarkand or Xingjian goitered gazelles (G. s. yarkandensis) and the Persian gazelles (G. s. subgutturosa) (East, 1992; Groombridge, 1993). Scientific references on the Arabian Sand Gazelles concern only the ethological aspects, reintroduction and some researches on veterinary and diseases (KKWRC, 2008). No data has been published on reproductive physiology and sperm characteristics *Corresponding author. E-mail: dr.aleissa@gmail.com. Tel: +699505782279. accept that was by (Al-Eissa, 1997, 2007a, 2007b). Moreover, some studies described the reproductive season of Arabian sand gazelles and Compared its reproductive cycles to Persian gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa subgutturosa) (Sempere, 2001). However, the length of gestation for Arabian sand gazelles is about 148 to 160 days compared to gestation length between 160 to 170 days for G. cuvieri, G. dorcas, and G. leptoceros, as mentioned by Al-Eissa (in press). In addition, evaluation of spermatozoa is an important factor that must be accurately analyzed to ensure the use of animals with good fertility. These evaluations often include measuring volume, concentration, motility, morphology, and other characteristics that influence sperm functionality. Since it is important to improve the knowledge on reproductive male characteristics for protection of this species from extinction, this study was undertaken to investigate some testicular and sperm characteristics of the mountain gazelles and to find out which are the sui- table months for semen quality collection, manipulation