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Common name:
SCIMITAR HORNED ORYXScientific name:
Oryx dammahClass:
MammalsOrder:
ArtiodattiliFamily:
AntilopiProvenance:
North Western AfricaDiet:
fruits – fodderHabitat:
Grassy steppesReproduction:
8 month about, 1 puppy for childbirth -
Common in the past in the whole Northern Sahara, from Western Africa to Egypt, The Scimitar Oryx now inhabits a southern strip of this territory. It possesses many adaptations that allow it to live in very dry habitats.
While these animals have been decimated less drastically then the white oryx, they are some of the more endangered antilopes because the regions where they live don’t offer any hiding from the hunting to which they are subjected.
Luckily, some European and American zoos raise groups of Oryx for reproduction so that they can be reintroduced later into their natural habitat.