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Description

Species Name: Scimitar-horned Oryx

Species Latin Name: Oryx dammah

Also Known As: Scimitar Oryx and Sahara Oryx

Native To: North Africa

Conservation Status: Extinct in the wild

Photo Taken At: N/A

Size (length): 140 – 240cm (55.1 – 94.5 inches)

Size (Height): over 1 meter (over 3.3 feet)

Weight: 91 – 210kg (200.6 – 463.0 pounds)

Lifespan: 20 years

Diet: Herbivore, folivore, graminivore, frugivore

Lifestyle: Terrestrial, cursorial, precocial, grazing, browsing, viviparous, nomadic

Group Name: Herd, cluster, tribe

Female Name: Doe

Male Name: Buck

Baby Name: Calf

Reproductive Season: Seasonal

Pregnancy Duration: 9 months

Births per pregnancy: 1 calf

Independent Age: 14 weeks

Age of Sexual Maturity: 1.5 – 2 years

Description:

Scimitar-horned Oryx's are medium sized antelopes that feature white coats with rusty brown portions of fur along their necks and their chests. This species also feature black portions of fur along their face although, in some cases this can fade to a more of a brown colour. The young are born with more of a yellow coat of fur with no prominent features, they gain the features mentioned before as they mature into adulthood. Both the males and the females grow long horns but the females tend to have more slender horns, these horns are long and are the only horns in the Oryx family that grow backwards. These horns can grow to be as long as 1.2 meters (3.11 inches), their horns are rather fragile due to how thin they are and they tend to break easily. These antelope have large spreading hooves which are well adapted for walking on the sand of their dry habitats.

Diet:

These animals have adapted in many ways to cope with the extreme heat of their habitats, so much so that they can go a year or more without drinking water. They get just about all their water needs from the food they consume. A lot of the food they choose to consume will vary on the environment they are currently in and their given needs at that time. Generally they will survive by eating a variety of grasses, fruits, herbs, seedpods, and leguminous roots.

When tuft grasses and herbs are scarce they will eat legume seedpods, bulbs, juicy roots, bitter wild melon, tuberous roots, succulents, and the soft tip of branches when available. Some of the favorite foods of this species include wild melon, juicy roots, and shots of capparis which is a wild flowering plant. During the night or early mornings these animals will seek out plants that have absorbed water from the surrounding environment as a means to get their water needs. These animals live nomadic lifestyles and as a result they travel great distances in search of freshly grown grasses that grow after recent downpours of rain.

List of plant species the Scimitar-horned Oryx feeds on:

Abu Jahl's Melon also known as Colocynth, Bitter Apple, Bitter Cucumber, Egusi, Vine of Sodom, and Wild Gourd (Citrullus colocynthis)

Jhil also known as Jhiladi (Indigofera oblongifolia)

Kariria (Capparis decidua), leafless twigs are normally eaten

Sticky Indigo (Indigofera colutea), usually eaten at night or early mornings for their water content

Camel Grass also known as Camel's Hay, Fever Grass, Geranium Grass, and West Indian Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon schoenanthus)

Indian Sandbur (Cenchrus biflorus), one of the more favored grass species for this antelope

Panicum laetum, one of the more favored grass species for this antelope

Egyptian Crowfoot Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium), one of the more favored grass species for this antelope

Desert Grass also known as Turgid Panic Grass and Afezu (Panicum turgidum), most common grass eaten during the dry season for this antelope

Port Royal Senna also known as Italian Senna and Senegal Senna (Senna italica), these antelope will browse for these plants during the dry season

Had also known as Djouri and Tahara (Cornulaca monacantha), these antelope will browse for these plants during the dry season

Other than the specific plants mentioned this species of antelope will generally rely on perennial grasses under the genera of Panicum and Aristidam they will also browse for plants under the genus of Leptadenia.

Behaviour:

As these animals live in large herds they use tactile and chemical mechanisms such as pheromones to communicate, they use their strong sense of smell to tell each other apart and to identify other animals. As stated before these very sociable animals generally live in large herds that can vary from as little as 2 individuals to as many as 40, their numbers can go up to the hundreds if the food is generally scarce but concentrated in a given area. During the wet season they will migrate north into the Sahara. They are active in both the daytime and the night time, they will typically be most active in the early mornings and the evenings. During the peak of the day they will rest under trees and shrubs to seek shelter from the heat, if these plants are not available for shelter they will instead dig depressions in the soil with their hooves and rest there instead. In the early morning as well as the night these animals will look for food to get most of their water content. Males will often fight one another in highly choreographed rituals but these rarely end in injury, the exception to this is when there is an intense competition for vital resources.

Little is known about the mating system of these animals, they breed all year round but only when the environmental conditions are favorable. Courting is done through the means of a type of mating circle. During this ritual the male and the female will stand parallel to one another facing opposite directions. They will then circle around each other until the female allows the male to mount from behind, if the female is not ready to mate she can run away from the circle in the reverse direction. It is stated that the fencing matches between males follow a similar structure, the inferior male of the fight will lower his head to the dominant male when the fight/ritual is complete.

The female will be pregnant for about 9 months at which point a single calf will be born weighing at 10 – 15kg (22 – 33 pounds). Pregnant females will leave the herd for a week to give birth and will return with the newborn calf hours after the calf has been born, the female will periodically separate herself from the herd in order to nurse the calf. The young calf will become independent by 14 weeks of age, both the males and the females become sexually mature between 1.5 – 2 years of age.

Threats:

Historically around 7500 to 3500 BCE the 'Green Sahara" these animals lived in became dry and this species number began to decline. Since then their numbers have further been effected due to them being hunted by humans. By the turn of the 20th century these animals were absent from the northern areas of their habitats with the introduction of horses and firearms. Their numbers were further reduced at an accelerated pace as Europeans began to settle in these areas and hunted the animals for meat, hides, and horn trophies. As a result of these factors the animal is considered extinct in the wild.

That said however, there are numerous breeding programs in various zoos and sanctuaries to try and replenish the animals numbers and reintroduce them back into the wild. A good number of these animals were introduced back into the wild from 2017 on-wards, success in this regard has been turbulent as individuals that are released in the wild are subject to being hunted by local humans once more. There is hope that with education programs for the local populations that further attempts to reintroduce this species will be more successful.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scimitar…

Animal Diversity: animaldiversity.org/accounts/O…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/scimit…

Animalia: animalia.bio/scimitar-oryx

The Animal Facts: www.theanimalfacts.com/mammals…

Description

Species Name: Scimitar-horned Oryx

Species Latin Name: Oryx dammah

Also Known As: Scimitar Oryx and Sahara Oryx

Native To: North Africa

Conservation Status: Extinct in the wild

Photo Taken At: N/A

Size (length): 140 – 240cm (55.1 – 94.5 inches)

Size (Height): over 1 meter (over 3.3 feet)

Weight: 91 – 210kg (200.6 – 463.0 pounds)

Lifespan: 20 years

Diet: Herbivore, folivore, graminivore, frugivore

Lifestyle: Terrestrial, cursorial, precocial, grazing, browsing, viviparous, nomadic

Group Name: Herd, cluster, tribe

Female Name: Doe

Male Name: Buck

Baby Name: Calf

Reproductive Season: Seasonal

Pregnancy Duration: 9 months

Births per pregnancy: 1 calf

Independent Age: 14 weeks

Age of Sexual Maturity: 1.5 – 2 years

Description:

Scimitar-horned Oryx's are medium sized antelopes that feature white coats with rusty brown portions of fur along their necks and their chests. This species also feature black portions of fur along their face although, in some cases this can fade to a more of a brown colour. The young are born with more of a yellow coat of fur with no prominent features, they gain the features mentioned before as they mature into adulthood. Both the males and the females grow long horns but the females tend to have more slender horns, these horns are long and are the only horns in the Oryx family that grow backwards. These horns can grow to be as long as 1.2 meters (3.11 inches), their horns are rather fragile due to how thin they are and they tend to break easily. These antelope have large spreading hooves which are well adapted for walking on the sand of their dry habitats.

Diet:

These animals have adapted in many ways to cope with the extreme heat of their habitats, so much so that they can go a year or more without drinking water. They get just about all their water needs from the food they consume. A lot of the food they choose to consume will vary on the environment they are currently in and their given needs at that time. Generally they will survive by eating a variety of grasses, fruits, herbs, seedpods, and leguminous roots.

When tuft grasses and herbs are scarce they will eat legume seedpods, bulbs, juicy roots, bitter wild melon, tuberous roots, succulents, and the soft tip of branches when available. Some of the favorite foods of this species include wild melon, juicy roots, and shots of capparis which is a wild flowering plant. During the night or early mornings these animals will seek out plants that have absorbed water from the surrounding environment as a means to get their water needs. These animals live nomadic lifestyles and as a result they travel great distances in search of freshly grown grasses that grow after recent downpours of rain.

List of plant species the Scimitar-horned Oryx feeds on:

Abu Jahl's Melon also known as Colocynth, Bitter Apple, Bitter Cucumber, Egusi, Vine of Sodom, and Wild Gourd (Citrullus colocynthis)

Jhil also known as Jhiladi (Indigofera oblongifolia)

Kariria (Capparis decidua), leafless twigs are normally eaten

Sticky Indigo (Indigofera colutea), usually eaten at night or early mornings for their water content

Camel Grass also known as Camel's Hay, Fever Grass, Geranium Grass, and West Indian Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon schoenanthus)

Indian Sandbur (Cenchrus biflorus), one of the more favored grass species for this antelope

Panicum laetum, one of the more favored grass species for this antelope

Egyptian Crowfoot Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium), one of the more favored grass species for this antelope

Desert Grass also known as Turgid Panic Grass and Afezu (Panicum turgidum), most common grass eaten during the dry season for this antelope

Port Royal Senna also known as Italian Senna and Senegal Senna (Senna italica), these antelope will browse for these plants during the dry season

Had also known as Djouri and Tahara (Cornulaca monacantha), these antelope will browse for these plants during the dry season

Other than the specific plants mentioned this species of antelope will generally rely on perennial grasses under the genera of Panicum and Aristidam they will also browse for plants under the genus of Leptadenia.

Behaviour:

As these animals live in large herds they use tactile and chemical mechanisms such as pheromones to communicate, they use their strong sense of smell to tell each other apart and to identify other animals. As stated before these very sociable animals generally live in large herds that can vary from as little as 2 individuals to as many as 40, their numbers can go up to the hundreds if the food is generally scarce but concentrated in a given area. During the wet season they will migrate north into the Sahara. They are active in both the daytime and the night time, they will typically be most active in the early mornings and the evenings. During the peak of the day they will rest under trees and shrubs to seek shelter from the heat, if these plants are not available for shelter they will instead dig depressions in the soil with their hooves and rest there instead. In the early morning as well as the night these animals will look for food to get most of their water content. Males will often fight one another in highly choreographed rituals but these rarely end in injury, the exception to this is when there is an intense competition for vital resources.

Little is known about the mating system of these animals, they breed all year round but only when the environmental conditions are favorable. Courting is done through the means of a type of mating circle. During this ritual the male and the female will stand parallel to one another facing opposite directions. They will then circle around each other until the female allows the male to mount from behind, if the female is not ready to mate she can run away from the circle in the reverse direction. It is stated that the fencing matches between males follow a similar structure, the inferior male of the fight will lower his head to the dominant male when the fight/ritual is complete.

The female will be pregnant for about 9 months at which point a single calf will be born weighing at 10 – 15kg (22 – 33 pounds). Pregnant females will leave the herd for a week to give birth and will return with the newborn calf hours after the calf has been born, the female will periodically separate herself from the herd in order to nurse the calf. The young calf will become independent by 14 weeks of age, both the males and the females become sexually mature between 1.5 – 2 years of age.

Threats:

Historically around 7500 to 3500 BCE the 'Green Sahara" these animals lived in became dry and this species number began to decline. Since then their numbers have further been effected due to them being hunted by humans. By the turn of the 20th century these animals were absent from the northern areas of their habitats with the introduction of horses and firearms. Their numbers were further reduced at an accelerated pace as Europeans began to settle in these areas and hunted the animals for meat, hides, and horn trophies. As a result of these factors the animal is considered extinct in the wild.

That said however, there are numerous breeding programs in various zoos and sanctuaries to try and replenish the animals numbers and reintroduce them back into the wild. A good number of these animals were introduced back into the wild from 2017 on-wards, success in this regard has been turbulent as individuals that are released in the wild are subject to being hunted by local humans once more. There is hope that with education programs for the local populations that further attempts to reintroduce this species will be more successful.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scimitar…

Animal Diversity: animaldiversity.org/accounts/O…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/scimit…

Animalia: animalia.bio/scimitar-oryx

The Animal Facts: www.theanimalfacts.com/mammals…