Niger national football team
The Niger national football team represents Niger in international football through the Nigerien Football Federation, a member of Confederation of African Football (CAF). Niger plays in the colors of the flag of Niger, white, green and orange. Their nickname comes from the Dama gazelle, native to Niger, the Hausa name of which is Meyna or Ménas The Dama appears on their badge in the colors of the national flag.
Niger national team against Morocco, 9 February 2011
The dama gazelle, also known as the addra gazelle or mhorr gazelle, is a species of gazelle. It lives in Africa, in the Sahara desert and the Sahel. A critically endangered species, it has disappeared from most of its former range due to overhunting and habitat loss, and natural populations only remain in Chad, Mali, and Niger. Its habitat includes grassland, shrubland, semi-deserts, open savanna and mountain plateaus. Its diet includes shrubs, herbs, grasses, leaves, shoots, and fruit.
Image: Gazella dama ruficollis 3zz
Image: Gazella dama mhorr 2
Close-up of the head of a mhorr gazelle (N. d. mhorr)
Addra gazelles, part of the breeding program at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.