Oryx

There are multiple species of oryx, some of which have become extinct in the wild today, while others have healthy populations.

The Oryx as a rule ranges across much of Africa, including nearly all of eastern and southern areas of Africa.

The Oryx is a social animal who will live in groups, called herds, which may number upwards of 500 animals and are not all closely related.

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All Oryx enjoy desert or desert like conditions to live.

They have adapted well to this type of lifestyle in that they can go for extended periods, often as long as a week without a drink of water, which enables them to survive lengthy periods with no rain.

Oryx

Both Male and female Oryx have long thin horns which are dangerously sharp.

They are thin and straight, except in one species, the Scimitar Oryx, where they curve a bit backward.

Oryx are called Saber antelopes as they use their horns for a very effective means of defense against predators.

There have been many reports of Oryx killing cheetah and lions with their horns.
Baby oryx are born in early summer after a spring mating season.

They are about 2 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh about forty pounds. They are able to stand and to run with their herds at just a few hours of age.

In America, between 1970 and 1977, the New Mexico Fish and Game Commission released about 90 Oryx onto a range near White Sands Missile Base in New Mexico.

The breeding and ranging of the herd was a marked success. The Oryx herd there now numbers about 1700 strong.

Read more about the Oryx over at Wikipedia »