Scimitar-horned Oryx

The Scimitar-horned oryx is a desert antelope. There are 3 or 4 other species, or kinds, of oryx.

Conservation status and Threats
The Scimitar-horned oryx is classified as 'Extinct in the Wild', which means the only populations are in captivity, no longer in the wild.

The scimitar-horned oryx has been hunted for its magnificent curved horns. In some areas, long droughts had a further effect on the oryx numbers. Loss of habitat for farms and the grazing of domestic animals competing for the small amount of plants at the edges of the desert also had an effect.

Habitat and Distribution (where they were found)
The Scimitar-horned oryx was once found widely spread throughout the Sahara desert, but most recently was found in small areas of the northern part of the Sahara.

Body and Special Features
Their coat is white, but the neck and chest, and sometimes their thighs, are a reddish brown colour. Scimitar-horned oryx have a white face with reddish brown marks. They have a long, tufted tail. Their horns are their most distinctive feature, and give them their name. The horns are shaped like a curved scimitar, a sword that was used for centuries in that area. Both males and females have long, curved horns, growing from the centre of their forehead. The horns curve over their backs, growing to about 100-125 cm long. The horns can break quite easily, and do not grow back. Other species of oryx have straight horns.

The scimitar-horned oryx have some special features that help them survive in the desert. Their wide, hoofed feet mean they can travel with ease across the desert with sinking into the sand. They can go without drinking water for weeks (or possibly even months). They lose very little moisture from their bodies. They have special kidneys so that they do not have to pass much urine out of their bodies. The oryx have high body temperature, about 46ºC. This means they only perspire when the weather gets to temperatures hotter than 46ºC. The oryx have a special network of veins that take blood from the heart to the brain, going past the nostrils, which cools the blood by several degrees before it gets to the brain.

Behaviour
Scimitar-horned oryx in the wild lived in herds of up to about 70 animals, led by a dominant (or alpha) male.

During the wet season, herds would migrate into the north Sahara, and return south as the dry season approached.

Life Cycle
About 8 months after mating with a male, a female gives birth to one young. Within a few hours after the birth, mother and calf return to join their herd. Oryx can live for up to 20 years.

Predators
The main natural predators of the scimitar-horned oryx are the lion, leopard, hyena and Cape hunting dog.

Experts are undecided as to how many other oryx species, or kinds there are:
East African oryx and the Gemsbok, classified as Threatened (some experts say these are the same kind, not two)
Arabian oryx, extinct in the wild but with small groups in captivity.

Scimitar-horned oryx Fun Fact

When a Scimitar-horned oryx is viewed side on, it looks like it has just one horn growing from its forehead. The oryx's body is a bit horse-like, and it is mostly white in colour. It is believed that seeing an oryx like this led to the legend of the unicorn, a white horned horse!