Scimitar Horned Oryx

Extinct in the Wild

Oryx dammah

Size: 5 - 7.7 feet, up to 35 inches to the shoulder, and up to 450 pounds

Lifespan: 20 years

Range/Habitat: African desert and semi-desert

The scimitar horned oryx is able to go weeks or even months at a time with out water in the extreme desert heat. The oryx is actually able to cool their blood through capillaries in their noses as they breathe. This would help when the oryx herds were migrating from one feeding ground to another. When the oryx lived in the wild, they would typically live in herds of 20 to 40 individuals led by a single dominant male. During the migration season, herds of 1,000 or more were reportedly seen.

Conservation Concerns:

The scimitar horned oryx was driven to extinction through both hunting and encroachment from herders over grazing the land. Today the oryx only exist in zoos and preserves. While we work to organize protection programs in the oryx’s native African habitats, work is being done to ensure genetic variability in the world herd.