Scimitar Oryxシロオリックス

Species Data

Classification

Artiodactyla / Bovidae Source

Distribution

Historically ranged across the Sahara and Sahel regions of North Africa, but overhunting drove it to extinction in the wild by the late 1980s/1990s. Reintroduction efforts, most notably in Chad's Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve, have since re-established a wild population. Source

Did You Know?

• Both sexes grow long, gracefully backward-curving horns that can reach 1.0 to 1.2 meters in length. Source
• Declared Extinct in the Wild in 2000, the species saw its first wild birth in over 20 years in early 2017 following reintroduction to Chad, and the wild population had grown to roughly 400 individuals by 2021, with 60 calves born that year alone. Source
• In 1968, Tokyo's Tama Zoological Park achieved Japan's first successful captive breeding of the scimitar oryx. Source

FAQ

Is the scimitar oryx extinct?

It was declared Extinct in the Wild in 2000 after decades of overhunting, but a reintroduction program to Chad's Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve has since rebuilt a wild population of roughly 400 animals as of 2021, and the IUCN reclassified it as Endangered in 2023. Source

How do scimitar oryx survive without water?

Their kidneys are adapted to minimize water loss through urination, allowing them to go without drinking for nine to ten months, relying instead on moisture from the plants they eat. Source

How long are a scimitar oryx's horns?

Both males and females grow long, backward-curving horns that can reach around 1.0 to 1.2 meters in length. Source