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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
scimitar-horned
oryx |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Artiodactyla |
| FAMILY: |
Bovidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Oryx
(antelope) dammah (fallow deer) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Medium-sized
white antelope with brown neck and collar markings
(may seasonal color change to a light brown); long
horns curve backward |
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| SIZE: |
Height
at shoulder = 0.9-1.36 m (3-4.5 ft) |
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| DIET: |
Browser,
trees, fruit, shoots, grasses, herbs, and leaves |
|
| GESTATION: |
8-10
months; one offspring per birth weighing 9-14.8
kg (20-33 lbs) |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
1.5-2
years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 20 years |
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| HABITAT: |
Barren
steppes, desert and sub-desert zones |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Extinct
in the wild |
| CITES |
Appendix
I |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Scimitar-horned
oryx once inhabited the arid borders of the Sahara
desert. Because of overhunting, the last wild oryx
observed was seen in the late 1980's. Fortunately,
this species has been bred in zoos and today small
groups have been introduced into northern central
Africa. They have white coats that help to reflect
the heat of the sun, broad hooves to prevent sinking
into sand, and the ability to go for days without
drinking, in part because they eat plants high in
moisture. Scimitar-horned oryx are an important
example of how humans can impact animal populations,
both negatively and positively. |
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| 2. |
Egyptians used to bind the horns of oryx together
to make them appear like they had one horn. Soon
their horns would grow together. This may be where
the unicorn myths began. |
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| 3. |
Oryx can go without water for several days, which
is a great adaptation for a desert dweller. |
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| 4. |
These animals usually live in herds of 20-40 individuals,
but have been sighted at herds of 1000! |
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| 5. |
Reintroduction of oryx in some areas is problematic
because they are migratory animals, and move to
vast pastures. Unfortunately, livestock or crops
now occupy most pastures. |
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| 6. |
They are mainly active at night and around dusk
and dawn. |
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While
information on oryx is limited, they are important
to the habitats where they live. As browsers these
antelope help keep vegetation from becoming overgrown.
They also serve as a food source for carnivores
such as leopards, lions, birds of prey, and young
baboons.
Oryx numbers have dwindled because farmers shoot them.
In addition, they suffer from habitat destruction
and poachers.
In a cooperative effort with other AZA (American
Association of Zoos and Aquariums) institutions,
Busch Gardens closely manages scimitar-horned
oryx populations through a program called the
Species Survival Plan (SSP), which works to improve
the genetic diversity of managed animal populations.
Busch Gardens currently has 30 SSP animals.
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|
|
| Estes,
Richard D. The Behavior Guide to African Mammals:
Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates.
Berkeley: University of California Press. 1991.
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| Estes,
Richard D. The Safari Companion. Vermont:
Chelsea Green Publishing Company. 1993. |
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|
Nowak,
Ronald M. Walker's Mammals of the World Fifth
Ed. Vol. II. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press. 1991.
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| Parker,
Sybil P. ed. Grzimeks Encyclopedia: Mammals.
Vol. 5. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.
1990. |
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