Four species of large, pale antelopes with dark markings on the face and legs and long, nearly straight horns. They live in near-desert conditions, can go long periods without water, and gather in herds of up to 600.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?Can be
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?Yes
A common game-ranch animal, hunted for meat, hide and horns.
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia, North America
HabitatDesert
ColoursWhite, Grey, Black
SizeLarge
HeightAbout 0.8–1.25 m at the shoulder
Weight100–240 kg (Arabian oryx to male gemsbok)
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives inherds
Lives for20 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Dry lands of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula; gemsbok were also released in New Mexico, USA.
- What it eats
- Grasses and forbs, plus melons and cucumbers that supply water.
Did you know
Lets its body temperature rise in the heat of the day rather than lose water cooling down.
The Arabian oryx died out in the wild in 1972; in 2011 it became the first species moved back from "extinct in the wild" to vulnerable.
Its horns can be deadly: oryxes have been known to kill lions with them.
Often confused with
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