Oryx dammah
The Scimitar-horned Oryx is considered to be extinct in the wild. This animal used to live in arid plains, deserts, and rocky hillsides of North African countries such as Egypt, Senegal, and Chad. They have been reintroduced in Tunisia. Also, the zoo populations of these desert antelopes are increasing because of cooperation between North American and European zoos.
Scimitar-horned oryxes can cope with a shortage of water by raising their body temperature by several degrees, so to conserve water by avoiding sweating. Also, their kidneys are very efficient at minimizing the loss of water in urine.
The picture of this Scimitar-horned Oryx was taken at the Attica Zoological Park in Athens, Greece, in June 2007.
Genus Oryx
Subfamily Hippotraginae
Family Bovidae
Order Artiodactyla
Subclass Eutheria
Class Mammalia
Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum Chordata
Kingdom Animalia
Life on Earth
Index