fbpx
Wikipedia

Scimitar oryx

January 16, 2023

The scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah), also known as the scimitar-horned oryx and the Sahara oryx, is a Oryx species that was once widespread across North Africa. In 2000, it was declared extinct in the wild on the IUCN Red List.

Scimitar oryx
Adult at the Taronga Zoo
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Hippotraginae
Genus: Oryx
Species:
O. dammah
Binomial name
Oryx dammah
(Cretzschmar, 1827)
Osteological specimen of a Scimitar oryx in the Natural Science Research Laboratory's (NSRL) collection at the Museum of Texas Tech University.

A captive bred group was released into an acclimation enclosure within the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve in 2016, then reintroduced into the wild. An additional 21 individuals were released into the acclimation enclosure in 2017. The first ones to be relocated were released into the wild in 2016 and have adapted well to their surroundings. In 2017, another herd of 75 scimitar-horned oryxes arrived in an operation led by Chad's Ministry of Environment and Fisheries and the Sahara Conservation Fund. In 2021, 60 new calves were born, bringing the number in the wild to about 400. This particular oryx can survive for months or even years without drinking water. A grazing animal, it derives most of its daily moisture intake from plants.

The scimitar oryx has a long taxonomic history since its scientific description in 1816 by Lorenz Oken, who named it Oryx algazel. This antelope stands a little more than 1 m (3.3 ft) at the shoulder. The males weigh 140–210 kg (310–460 lb) and the females weigh 91–140 kg (201–309 lb). The coat is white with a red-brown chest and black markings on the forehead and down the length of the nose. The calves are born with a yellow coat without distinguishing marks; their coats change to adult coloration at 3–12 months old.

The scimitar oryx formed herds of mixed sexes of up to 70 members, usually guided by the bulls. They inhabited semideserts and deserts and were adapted to live in extreme heat, with their efficient cooling mechanism and very low requirement of water. Scimitar oryx feed on foliage, grasses, succulent plants, and plant parts during the night or early morning. Births peak between March and October. After a gestation of 8-9 months, one calf is born. Soon after, the female has a postpartum estrus.

The decline of the scimitar oryx population began as a result of climate change during the Neolithic period, and later it was hunted extensively for its horns. Today, it is bred in captivity in special reserves in Tunisia, Morocco, and Senegal, and on private exotic animal ranches in the Texas Hill Country. In 2016, a reintroduction program was launched and currently a small herd has been successfully reintroduced in Chad.[2]

The scimitar oryx was domesticated in Ancient Egypt and is believed to have been used as food and sacrificed as offerings to gods. Wealthy people in Ancient Rome also bred them. The use of their valuable hides began in the Middle Ages. The unicorn myth may have originated from sightings of a scimitar oryx with a broken horn.[citation needed]

The scimitar oryx was the emblem of the ancient Egyptian Oryx nome and today is the animal symbol of the Sahara Conservation Fund.

Taxonomy and naming

The scimitar oryx is a member of the genus Oryx and the family Bovidae. German naturalist Lorenz Oken first described it in 1816, naming it Oryx algazel. The nomenclature has undergone various changes since then, with the introduction of names such as Oryx tao, O. leucoryx, O. damma, O. dammah, O. bezoarticus, and O. ensicornis. In 1826, Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar used the name Oryx ammah for the species. A year later, the name Oryx leucoryx came into use, but as this was a synonym of the Arabian oryx (then called Oryx beatrix), it was abandoned, and Oryx algazel was accepted once more. Over 100 years later in 1951, Sir John Ellerman and Terence Morrison-Scott found that the name Oryx algazel was also ineligible for use. Finally, in January 1956, the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature accepted Oryx dammah as the scientific name. No more changes have been made since then, though many papers published after 1956 created confusion by using names such as O. gazella tao.[3]

Its scientific name, Oryx dammah, is derived from: Ancient Greek ὄρυξ (orux), meaning a gazelle or antelope (originally a pickaxe[4]); Latin damma (fallow deer or antelope); and Arabic dammar (sheep).[5] The scimitar oryx is named for its horns,[6] which resemble scimitars.[5] Its common name in English is "scimitar-horned oryx", or simply "scimitar oryx".[3]

Genetics and evolution

 
Scimitar oryx at Chester Zoo

The scimitar oryx has 58 chromosomes - one pair of large submetacentric autosomes and 27 acrocentric autosomal pairs. The X and Y chromosomes are the largest and smallest acrocentrics.[7] The first molecular study of this species (published in 2007) observed genetic diversity among European, North American, and some other captive groups. Divergence was found within the mitochondrial DNA haplotypes, and was estimated to have taken place between 2.1 and 2.7 million years ago. Population increases occurred about 1.2 and 0.5 million years ago.[8]

In another study, intended to note genetic differences between Oryx species, karyotypes of Oryx species and subspecies – namely O. gazella, O. b. beisa, O. b. callotis, O. dammah, and O. leucoryx – were compared with the standard karyotype of Bos taurus. The number of autosomes in all karyotypes was 58. The X and Y chromosomes were conserved in all five species.[9]

Physical description

 
Scimitar oryx in the Werribee Open Range Zoo, Victoria, Australia

The scimitar oryx is a straight-horned antelope that stands just over 1 m (3.3 ft) at the shoulder. The males weigh 140–210 kg (310–460 lb) and the females 91–140 kg (201–309 lb).[10] The body measures 140–240 cm (55–94 in) from the head to the base of the tail. The tail is 45–60 cm (18–24 in) long and ends with a tuft. They are sexually dimorphic with males being larger than females.[11]

Its coat is white with a red-brown chest and black markings on the forehead and down the length of the nose.[5] The coat reflects the sun's rays, while the black portions and the tip of the tongue provide protection against sunburn.[12][13] The white coat helps to reflect the heat of the desert.[14] Calves are born with yellow coats and lack distinguishing marks, which appear later in life.[15] Their pelage changes to adult coloration at 3–12 months old.[12]

Both male and female oryxes have horns, with the females' being more slender.[15] The horns are long, thin, and symmetrical, and curve backward (a distinctive feature of this species); they can reach 1.0 to 1.2 m (3 ft 3 in to 3 ft 11 in) in both sexes. The hollow walls of the horns are so thin that they can easily break.[5] The female's udder has four teats. The large, spreading hooves are well adapted to allow these antelopes to walk on the sand of their dry habitats.[6] A scimitar oryx can live as long as 20 years.[5][14][16] At Smithsonian National Zoo, a female oryx died at 21, an exceptional age since females generally have a lifespan of about 15 years.[17]

Diseases and parasites

The scimitar oryx can be infected with cryptosporidiosis, a parasitic disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium in the phylum Apicomplexa. A study in 2004 revealed that C. parvum or similar organisms infected 155 mammal species, including the scimitar oryx.[18] An analysis in 2005 found Cryptosporidium parasites in stool samples from 100 mammals, including the scimitar oryx.[19] Oocysts of a new parasite, Eimeria oryxae, have been discovered in the feces of a scimitar oryx from Zoo Garden in Riyadh.[20] In France, Streptococcus uberis was isolated for the first time in an oryx. It had caused vegetative endocarditis in the animal, leading to fatal congestive heart failure.[21]


Ecology and behavior

The scimitar oryx was a very sociable animal and traveled in herds of two to 40 individuals, generally, led by a dominant bull. This species once gathered in groups of several thousand for migration. During the wet season, they migrated north into the Sahara.[15] Scimitar oryx are diurnal. In the cool early mornings and evenings, they rest under trees and shrubs, or if neither is available, they dig depressions in the soil with their hooves and rest there. Males fight often, but not for long and not violently. Predators, such as lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, golden jackals, vultures, and Cape hunting dogs, mostly kill weak and young oryx.[3][5]


Adaptations

 
Captive scimitar oryxes grazing in a paddock, Marwell Zoo, Hampshire, UK

With a metabolism that functions at the high temperatures prevalent in their habitats, scimitar oryxes need less water for evaporation to help conduct heat away from the body, enabling them to go for long periods without water. They can allow their body temperatures to rise to almost 46.5 °C (115.7 °F) before beginning to perspire.[6] In times of ample supply, oryx can use fluid loss through urination and feces to lower their body temperatures to below 36 °C (97 °F) at night, giving more time before reaching maximum body temperature the following day.[15] They can tolerate high temperatures that would be lethal to most mammals. They have a network of fine blood vessels that carries blood from the heart to the brain, passing close to the nasal passage, thus allowing the blood to cool by up to 3 °C (5 °F) before reaching the brain, which is one of the more heat-sensitive organs of the body.[14][15]

Diet

The habitat of the scimitar oryx in the wild was steppe and desert, where they ate foliage, grass, herbs, shrubs, succulent plants, legumes, juicy roots, buds, and fruit.[15] They can survive without water for 9-10 months because their kidneys prevent water loss from urination – an adaptation to desert habitats. They can get water from water-rich plants such as the wild melon (Citrullus colocynthis) and Indigofera oblongifolia and from the leafless twigs of Capparis decidua. In the night or early morning, they often search for plants such as Indigofera colutea, which produce a hygroscopic secretion that fulfills water requirements. They eat tuft grasses such as Cymbopogon schoenanthus after rains, but they normally prefer more palatable grasses, such as Cenchrus biflorus, Panicum laetum, and Dactyloctenium aegyptium. When the dry season begins, they feed on the seedpods of Acacia raddiana, and during the dry season, they rely on perennial grasses of genera such as Panicum (especially Panicum turgidum) and Aristida, and browse plants such as Leptadenia species, Cassia italica, and Cornulaca monacantha.[3]

Reproduction

 
A young scimitar oryx
 
A young scimitar oryx with its mother

Both males and females reach sexual maturity at 18-24 months of age.[5] Births peak between March and October.[5] Mating frequency is greater when environmental conditions are favorable. In zoos, males are sexually most active in autumn.[3] The estrous cycle lasts roughly 24 days, and females experience an anovulatory period in spring. Periods between births are less than 332 days, showing that the scimitar oryx is polyestrous.[22]

Courting is done by means of a mating circle; the male and female stand parallel to one another, facing in opposite directions, and then circle around each other until the female allows the male to mount from behind. If the female is not ready to mate, she runs away and circles in the reverse direction.[15] Pregnant females leave the herd for a week, give birth to the calf, and mate again during their postpartum estrus; thus, they can produce one calf a year.[12] Gestation lasts about nine months, after which a single calf is born, weighing 10–15 kg (22–33 lb).[15] Twin births are very rare - only 0.7% of the births observed in one study. Both mother and calf return to the main herd within hours of the birth.[5] The female separates herself from the herd for a few hours while she nurses the calf. Weaning starts at 3.5 months, and the young become fully independent around 14 weeks old.[6]

Habitat and distribution

The scimitar oryx once inhabited grassy steppes, semideserts[15] and deserts in a narrow strip of central north Africa (Niger and Chad).[6] It was reintroduced in Libya. It was widespread on the fringes of the Sahara, mainly in subdesert steppe, the grassy zone between the real desert and the Sahel, an area characterized by an annual rainfall of 75–150 mm (3.0–5.9 in). In 1936, a single herd of 10,000 scimitar oryxes was seen in the steppe area of Chad. By the mid-1970s, Chad was home to more than 95% of the world population of this species.[23]

Status and conservation

 
A group of scimitar oryxes at the Marwell Zoo in Hampshire, Great Britain

Following the Neolithic Subpluvial, around 7500 to 3500 BC, the "green Sahara" became dry and the scimitar oryx's population began to decline due to a loss of suitable habitat. This was further exacerbated by humans who hunted the scimitar oryx for both its meat and horns. The northern population was already almost lost before the 20th century. With the introduction of horses and firearms during the 20th century, nomadic hunters were able to decimate populations.[24] The decline of the southern population accelerated as Europeans began to settle the area and hunt them for meat, hides, and horn trophies. French involvement in World War II[24] and the civil war in Chad that started in the 1960s are thought to have caused heavy decreases of the species through an increase in hunting for food.[6][25] Roadkill, nomadic settlements near watering holes (the oryx's dry-season feeding places), and introduction of cattle and firearms for easy hunting have also reduced numbers.[24][26]

The IUCN lists the scimitar oryx as regionally extinct in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, and the Western Sahara, and has assessed it as EW since 2000. Reports of sightings in Chad and Niger remain unsubstantiated, despite extensive surveys carried out throughout Chad and Niger from 2001 to 2004 in an effort to detect antelopes in the Sahel and the Sahara. At least until 1985, 500 scimitar oryxes were estimated to be surviving in Chad and Niger, but by 1988, only a few individuals survived in the wild.[1]

A global captive-breeding program now exists for the scimitar oryx.[27] In 2015, about 1,750 captives were managed as part of breeding programs; at the program's peak, up to 11,000 were kept in Texas farms and 4,000 were held in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.[1] Reintroduction plans involve fenced-in herds in Bou-Hedma National Park (1985),[28] Sidi Toui National Park (1999) and Oued Dekouk National Park (1999) in Tunisia; Souss-Massa National Park (1995) in Morocco; and Ferlo Faunal Reserve (1998) and Guembeul Wildlife Reserve (1999) in Senegal.[1]

Chad is currently leading a project to reintroduce the species in Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve, with the support of the Sahara Conservation Fund and the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi.[29][30] At 78,000 km2 – equivalent to the size of Scotland- Ouadi Rimé Ouadi Achim is one of the world's largest protected areas.[31] The first group was released at the beginning of 2016 in an acclimation enclosure and then fully released in the wild in the rainy season.[2] That group was made of 21 animals, which by the beginning of 2017 had already produced a calf, the first birth in the wild for more than 20 years.[31] A second group comprising six males and eight females was placed in the acclimation enclosure on 21 January 2017.[31]

The Marwell Zoo in Hampshire and the Edinburgh Zoo have also worked in partnership with ZSL to help reintroduce captive-bred scimitar oryx to their former natural ranges.[32] The Tunisian reintroductions began in 1985 with 10 scimitar oryx from the Marwell and Edinburgh Zoos (co-ordinated by ZSL). In 1999 and 2007, Marwell co-ordinated the release of scimitar oryx into three more protected areas within their former historic range.

In culture

 
Woodcut illustration of a unicorn, from The History of Four-footed Beasts and Serpents by Edward Topsell

Ancient times

In ancient Egypt, scimitar oryxes were domesticated[13] and tamed, possibly to be used as offerings for religious ceremonies or as food.[16] They were called ran and bred in captivity. In ancient Rome, they were kept in paddocks and used for coursing, and wealthy Romans ate them. The scimitar oryx was the preferred quarry of Sahelo-Saharan hunters. Its hide is of superior quality, and the king of Rio de Oro sent 1,000 shields made of it to a contemporary in the Middle Ages. Since then, it has been used to make ropes, harnesses, and saddlery.[3]

Unicorn myth

The myth of the one-horned unicorn may have originated from sightings of injured scimitar oryxes; Aristotle and Pliny the Elder held that the oryx was the unicorn's "prototype".[33] From certain angles, the oryx may seem to have one horn rather than two,[34][35] and given that its horns are made from hollow bone that cannot be regrown, if a scimitar oryx were to lose one of its horns, for the rest of its life it would have only one.[33]

Modern times

In 2015, Yellow Nose, a scimitar oryx that lives in Portland, Oregon, escaped and startled hikers in Forest Park.[36] The following day, he was caught and returned home.[37]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2016). "Oryx dammah". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T15568A50191470. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T15568A50191470.en. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b . Archived from the original on 2016-04-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Gilbert, T.; Woodfine, T. (2004). (PDF) (2nd ed.). United Kingdom: Marwell Preservation Trust. ISBN 978-0-9521397-2-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-04.
  4. ^ Harper, Douglas. "oryx". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Huffman, B. "Oryx dammah (Scimitar-horned oryx)". Ultimate Ungulate.
  6. ^ a b c d e f . ARKive. Archived from the original on 2008-10-26.
  7. ^ Claro, F.; Hayes, H.; Cribiu, E.P. (1994). "The C-, G-, and R-banded karyotype of the scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah)". Hereditas. 120 (1): 1–6. doi:10.1111/j.1601-5223.1994.00001.x. PMID 8206781.
  8. ^ Iyengar, A.; Gilbert, T.; Woodfine, T.; Knowles, J. M.; Diniz, F. M.; Brenneman, R. A.; Louis, E. E.; Maclean, N. (1 June 2007). "Remnants of ancient genetic diversity preserved within captive groups of scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah)". Molecular Ecology. 16 (12): 2436–49. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03291.x. PMID 17561904. S2CID 19676013.
  9. ^ Kumamoto, A.T.; Charter, S.J.; Kingswood, S.C.; Ryder, O.A.; Gallagher Jr., D.S. (1999). "Centric fusion differences among Oryx dammah, O. gazella, and O. leucoryx (Artiodactyla, Bovidae)". Cytogenetic and Genome Research. 86 (1): 74–80. doi:10.1159/000015416. PMID 10516440. S2CID 40322591.
  10. ^ Mungall, E.C. (2007). Exotic Animal Field Guide : Nonnative Hoofed Mammals in the United States (1st ed.). College Station: Texas A&M University Press. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-58544-555-4.
  11. ^ Hoath, R. (2009). "Other Artiodactyla- Family Bovinae". A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt. Cairo: Amer Univ In Cairo Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-977-416-254-1.
  12. ^ a b c "Scimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah)". World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
  13. ^ a b "Oryx dammah" (PDF). Sahelo-Saharan Megafauna. Sahelo-Saharan Antelopes.
  14. ^ a b c "Scimitar-horned Oryx". National Zoological Park.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i Johnson, H. "Oryx dammah". University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Animal Diversity Web.
  16. ^ a b "Scimitar-horned oryx". Safari West.
  17. ^ Zoon, J. (22 March 2012). "Elderly Oryx Dies at Smithsonian's National Zoo". Smithsonian Newsdesk. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  18. ^ Fayer, R. (2004). "Cryptosporidium: a water-borne zoonotic parasite". Veterinary Parasitology. 126 (1–2): 37–56. doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2004.09.004. PMID 15567578.
  19. ^ Alves, M.; Xiao, L.; Lemos, V.; Zhou, L.; Cama, V.; Cunha, M. B. da; Matos, O.; Antunes, F. (2005). "Occurrence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. in mammals and reptiles at the Lisbon Zoo". Parasitology Research. 97 (2): 108–12. doi:10.1007/s00436-005-1384-9. PMID 15986253. S2CID 19339093.
  20. ^ Alyousif, M.S.; Al-Shawa, Y.R. (April 2002). "A new coccidian parasite (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the scimitar-horned oryx, Oryx dammah". Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology. 32 (1): 241–6. PMID 12049259.
  21. ^ Chai, N. (December 1999). "Vegetative endocarditis in a scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah)". Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. 30 (4): 587–8. PMID 10749451.
  22. ^ Morrow, C.J.; Wildt, D.E.; Monfort, S.L. (1999). "Reproductive seasonality in the female scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah)". Animal Conservation. 2 (4): 261–8. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.1999.tb00072.x. S2CID 5707532.
  23. ^ East, R. (1990). West and Central Africa (PDF). Gland: IUCN. p. 27. ISBN 978-2-8317-0016-8.
  24. ^ a b c Newby, J. E. (1978). "Scimitar-horned Oryx–the End of the Line?". Oryx. 14 (3): 219. doi:10.1017/S0030605300015520.
  25. ^ "Oryx dammah (O. tao)". Animal Info.
  26. ^ Newby, J. (1980). "Can Addax and Oryx be saved in the Sahel?". Oryx. 15 (3): 262. doi:10.1017/S0030605300024662.
  27. ^ United Nations Environment Programme (2008). (PDF). Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Environment Programme. ISBN 978-92-807-2871-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  28. ^ Godon, I.J.; Gill, J.P. (2007). "Reintroduction of Scimitar-horned oryx Oryx dammah to Bou-Hedma National Park, Tunisia". International Zoo Yearbook. 32 (1): 69–73. doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1993.tb03517.x.
  29. ^ "SCF Oryx Project receives strong presidential support – SCF – Sahara Conservation Fund". Sahara Conservation Fund. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15.
  30. ^ Technical Workshop on the Reintroduction of Scimitar-horned Oryx to the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve, Chad, May 2–4, 2012. Sahara Conservation Fund.
  31. ^ a b c "Scimitar-horned oryx returns to Sahara". Zoological Society of London (ZSL). 14 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  32. ^ "Days out in Hampshire | Family day out near me".
  33. ^ a b Rice, M. (1994). The Archaeology of the Arabian Gulf, c. 5000–323 BC. Routledge. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-415-03268-1.
  34. ^ . Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Archived from the original on 2007-10-10. Retrieved 2008-01-25.
  35. ^ Tongren, S. (1981). What's for Lunch: Animal Feeding at the Zoo. GMG Publications. ISBN 9780939456000.
  36. ^ Hammond, B. (2015). "An elk? An oryx? Large, unusual-looking horned animal reported on Germantown Road in Forest Park". The Oregonian.
  37. ^ Mayes, S. (2015). "Yellow Nose, the oryx wandering Northwest Portland's Forest Park, has been caught". The Oregonian.

External links

January 16, 2023
scimitar, oryx, scimitar, oryx, oryx, dammah, also, known, scimitar, horned, oryx, sahara, oryx, oryx, species, that, once, widespread, across, north, africa, 2000, declared, extinct, wild, iucn, list, adult, taronga, zooconservation, statusextinct, wild, iucn. The scimitar oryx Oryx dammah also known as the scimitar horned oryx and the Sahara oryx is a Oryx species that was once widespread across North Africa In 2000 it was declared extinct in the wild on the IUCN Red List Scimitar oryxAdult at the Taronga ZooConservation statusExtinct in the Wild IUCN 3 1 1 CITES Appendix I CITES 1 Scientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder ArtiodactylaFamily BovidaeSubfamily HippotraginaeGenus OryxSpecies O dammahBinomial nameOryx dammah Cretzschmar 1827 Osteological specimen of a Scimitar oryx in the Natural Science Research Laboratory s NSRL collection at the Museum of Texas Tech University A captive bred group was released into an acclimation enclosure within the Ouadi Rime Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve in 2016 then reintroduced into the wild An additional 21 individuals were released into the acclimation enclosure in 2017 The first ones to be relocated were released into the wild in 2016 and have adapted well to their surroundings In 2017 another herd of 75 scimitar horned oryxes arrived in an operation led by Chad s Ministry of Environment and Fisheries and the Sahara Conservation Fund In 2021 60 new calves were born bringing the number in the wild to about 400 This particular oryx can survive for months or even years without drinking water A grazing animal it derives most of its daily moisture intake from plants The scimitar oryx has a long taxonomic history since its scientific description in 1816 by Lorenz Oken who named it Oryx algazel This antelope stands a little more than 1 m 3 3 ft at the shoulder The males weigh 140 210 kg 310 460 lb and the females weigh 91 140 kg 201 309 lb The coat is white with a red brown chest and black markings on the forehead and down the length of the nose The calves are born with a yellow coat without distinguishing marks their coats change to adult coloration at 3 12 months old The scimitar oryx formed herds of mixed sexes of up to 70 members usually guided by the bulls They inhabited semideserts and deserts and were adapted to live in extreme heat with their efficient cooling mechanism and very low requirement of water Scimitar oryx feed on foliage grasses succulent plants and plant parts during the night or early morning Births peak between March and October After a gestation of 8 9 months one calf is born Soon after the female has a postpartum estrus The decline of the scimitar oryx population began as a result of climate change during the Neolithic period and later it was hunted extensively for its horns Today it is bred in captivity in special reserves in Tunisia Morocco and Senegal and on private exotic animal ranches in the Texas Hill Country In 2016 a reintroduction program was launched and currently a small herd has been successfully reintroduced in Chad 2 The scimitar oryx was domesticated in Ancient Egypt and is believed to have been used as food and sacrificed as offerings to gods Wealthy people in Ancient Rome also bred them The use of their valuable hides began in the Middle Ages The unicorn myth may have originated from sightings of a scimitar oryx with a broken horn citation needed The scimitar oryx was the emblem of the ancient Egyptian Oryx nome and today is the animal symbol of the Sahara Conservation Fund Contents 1 Taxonomy and naming 2 Genetics and evolution 3 Physical description 4 Diseases and parasites 5 Ecology and behavior 5 1 Adaptations 5 2 Diet 5 3 Reproduction 6 Habitat and distribution 7 Status and conservation 8 In culture 8 1 Ancient times 8 2 Unicorn myth 8 3 Modern times 9 References 10 External linksTaxonomy and naming EditThe scimitar oryx is a member of the genus Oryx and the family Bovidae German naturalist Lorenz Oken first described it in 1816 naming it Oryx algazel The nomenclature has undergone various changes since then with the introduction of names such as Oryx tao O leucoryx O damma O dammah O bezoarticus and O ensicornis In 1826 Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar used the name Oryx ammah for the species A year later the name Oryx leucoryx came into use but as this was a synonym of the Arabian oryx then called Oryx beatrix it was abandoned and Oryx algazel was accepted once more Over 100 years later in 1951 Sir John Ellerman and Terence Morrison Scott found that the name Oryx algazel was also ineligible for use Finally in January 1956 the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature accepted Oryx dammah as the scientific name No more changes have been made since then though many papers published after 1956 created confusion by using names such as O gazella tao 3 Its scientific name Oryx dammah is derived from Ancient Greek ὄry3 orux meaning a gazelle or antelope originally a pickaxe 4 Latin damma fallow deer or antelope and Arabic dammar sheep 5 The scimitar oryx is named for its horns 6 which resemble scimitars 5 Its common name in English is scimitar horned oryx or simply scimitar oryx 3 Genetics and evolution Edit Scimitar oryx at Chester Zoo The scimitar oryx has 58 chromosomes one pair of large submetacentric autosomes and 27 acrocentric autosomal pairs The X and Y chromosomes are the largest and smallest acrocentrics 7 The first molecular study of this species published in 2007 observed genetic diversity among European North American and some other captive groups Divergence was found within the mitochondrial DNA haplotypes and was estimated to have taken place between 2 1 and 2 7 million years ago Population increases occurred about 1 2 and 0 5 million years ago 8 In another study intended to note genetic differences between Oryx species karyotypes of Oryx species and subspecies namely O gazella O b beisa O b callotis O dammah and O leucoryx were compared with the standard karyotype of Bos taurus The number of autosomes in all karyotypes was 58 The X and Y chromosomes were conserved in all five species 9 Physical description Edit Scimitar oryx in the Werribee Open Range Zoo Victoria Australia The scimitar oryx is a straight horned antelope that stands just over 1 m 3 3 ft at the shoulder The males weigh 140 210 kg 310 460 lb and the females 91 140 kg 201 309 lb 10 The body measures 140 240 cm 55 94 in from the head to the base of the tail The tail is 45 60 cm 18 24 in long and ends with a tuft They are sexually dimorphic with males being larger than females 11 Its coat is white with a red brown chest and black markings on the forehead and down the length of the nose 5 The coat reflects the sun s rays while the black portions and the tip of the tongue provide protection against sunburn 12 13 The white coat helps to reflect the heat of the desert 14 Calves are born with yellow coats and lack distinguishing marks which appear later in life 15 Their pelage changes to adult coloration at 3 12 months old 12 Both male and female oryxes have horns with the females being more slender 15 The horns are long thin and symmetrical and curve backward a distinctive feature of this species they can reach 1 0 to 1 2 m 3 ft 3 in to 3 ft 11 in in both sexes The hollow walls of the horns are so thin that they can easily break 5 The female s udder has four teats The large spreading hooves are well adapted to allow these antelopes to walk on the sand of their dry habitats 6 A scimitar oryx can live as long as 20 years 5 14 16 At Smithsonian National Zoo a female oryx died at 21 an exceptional age since females generally have a lifespan of about 15 years 17 Diseases and parasites EditThe scimitar oryx can be infected with cryptosporidiosis a parasitic disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium in the phylum Apicomplexa A study in 2004 revealed that C parvum or similar organisms infected 155 mammal species including the scimitar oryx 18 An analysis in 2005 found Cryptosporidium parasites in stool samples from 100 mammals including the scimitar oryx 19 Oocysts of a new parasite Eimeria oryxae have been discovered in the feces of a scimitar oryx from Zoo Garden in Riyadh 20 In France Streptococcus uberis was isolated for the first time in an oryx It had caused vegetative endocarditis in the animal leading to fatal congestive heart failure 21 Ecology and behavior EditThe scimitar oryx was a very sociable animal and traveled in herds of two to 40 individuals generally led by a dominant bull This species once gathered in groups of several thousand for migration During the wet season they migrated north into the Sahara 15 Scimitar oryx are diurnal In the cool early mornings and evenings they rest under trees and shrubs or if neither is available they dig depressions in the soil with their hooves and rest there Males fight often but not for long and not violently Predators such as lions leopards hyenas cheetahs golden jackals vultures and Cape hunting dogs mostly kill weak and young oryx 3 5 Adaptations Edit Captive scimitar oryxes grazing in a paddock Marwell Zoo Hampshire UK With a metabolism that functions at the high temperatures prevalent in their habitats scimitar oryxes need less water for evaporation to help conduct heat away from the body enabling them to go for long periods without water They can allow their body temperatures to rise to almost 46 5 C 115 7 F before beginning to perspire 6 In times of ample supply oryx can use fluid loss through urination and feces to lower their body temperatures to below 36 C 97 F at night giving more time before reaching maximum body temperature the following day 15 They can tolerate high temperatures that would be lethal to most mammals They have a network of fine blood vessels that carries blood from the heart to the brain passing close to the nasal passage thus allowing the blood to cool by up to 3 C 5 F before reaching the brain which is one of the more heat sensitive organs of the body 14 15 Diet Edit The habitat of the scimitar oryx in the wild was steppe and desert where they ate foliage grass herbs shrubs succulent plants legumes juicy roots buds and fruit 15 They can survive without water for 9 10 months because their kidneys prevent water loss from urination an adaptation to desert habitats They can get water from water rich plants such as the wild melon Citrullus colocynthis and Indigofera oblongifolia and from the leafless twigs of Capparis decidua In the night or early morning they often search for plants such as Indigofera colutea which produce a hygroscopic secretion that fulfills water requirements They eat tuft grasses such as Cymbopogon schoenanthus after rains but they normally prefer more palatable grasses such as Cenchrus biflorus Panicum laetum and Dactyloctenium aegyptium When the dry season begins they feed on the seedpods of Acacia raddiana and during the dry season they rely on perennial grasses of genera such as Panicum especially Panicum turgidum and Aristida and browse plants such as Leptadenia species Cassia italica and Cornulaca monacantha 3 Reproduction Edit A young scimitar oryx A young scimitar oryx with its mother Both males and females reach sexual maturity at 18 24 months of age 5 Births peak between March and October 5 Mating frequency is greater when environmental conditions are favorable In zoos males are sexually most active in autumn 3 The estrous cycle lasts roughly 24 days and females experience an anovulatory period in spring Periods between births are less than 332 days showing that the scimitar oryx is polyestrous 22 Courting is done by means of a mating circle the male and female stand parallel to one another facing in opposite directions and then circle around each other until the female allows the male to mount from behind If the female is not ready to mate she runs away and circles in the reverse direction 15 Pregnant females leave the herd for a week give birth to the calf and mate again during their postpartum estrus thus they can produce one calf a year 12 Gestation lasts about nine months after which a single calf is born weighing 10 15 kg 22 33 lb 15 Twin births are very rare only 0 7 of the births observed in one study Both mother and calf return to the main herd within hours of the birth 5 The female separates herself from the herd for a few hours while she nurses the calf Weaning starts at 3 5 months and the young become fully independent around 14 weeks old 6 Habitat and distribution EditThe scimitar oryx once inhabited grassy steppes semideserts 15 and deserts in a narrow strip of central north Africa Niger and Chad 6 It was reintroduced in Libya It was widespread on the fringes of the Sahara mainly in subdesert steppe the grassy zone between the real desert and the Sahel an area characterized by an annual rainfall of 75 150 mm 3 0 5 9 in In 1936 a single herd of 10 000 scimitar oryxes was seen in the steppe area of Chad By the mid 1970s Chad was home to more than 95 of the world population of this species 23 Status and conservation Edit A group of scimitar oryxes at the Marwell Zoo in Hampshire Great Britain Following the Neolithic Subpluvial around 7500 to 3500 BC the green Sahara became dry and the scimitar oryx s population began to decline due to a loss of suitable habitat This was further exacerbated by humans who hunted the scimitar oryx for both its meat and horns The northern population was already almost lost before the 20th century With the introduction of horses and firearms during the 20th century nomadic hunters were able to decimate populations 24 The decline of the southern population accelerated as Europeans began to settle the area and hunt them for meat hides and horn trophies French involvement in World War II 24 and the civil war in Chad that started in the 1960s are thought to have caused heavy decreases of the species through an increase in hunting for food 6 25 Roadkill nomadic settlements near watering holes the oryx s dry season feeding places and introduction of cattle and firearms for easy hunting have also reduced numbers 24 26 The IUCN lists the scimitar oryx as regionally extinct in Algeria Burkina Faso Chad Egypt Libya Mali Mauritania Morocco Niger Nigeria Senegal Sudan Tunisia and the Western Sahara and has assessed it as EW since 2000 Reports of sightings in Chad and Niger remain unsubstantiated despite extensive surveys carried out throughout Chad and Niger from 2001 to 2004 in an effort to detect antelopes in the Sahel and the Sahara At least until 1985 500 scimitar oryxes were estimated to be surviving in Chad and Niger but by 1988 only a few individuals survived in the wild 1 A global captive breeding program now exists for the scimitar oryx 27 In 2015 about 1 750 captives were managed as part of breeding programs at the program s peak up to 11 000 were kept in Texas farms and 4 000 were held in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf 1 Reintroduction plans involve fenced in herds in Bou Hedma National Park 1985 28 Sidi Toui National Park 1999 and Oued Dekouk National Park 1999 in Tunisia Souss Massa National Park 1995 in Morocco and Ferlo Faunal Reserve 1998 and Guembeul Wildlife Reserve 1999 in Senegal 1 Chad is currently leading a project to reintroduce the species in Ouadi Rime Ouadi Achim Game Reserve with the support of the Sahara Conservation Fund and the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi 29 30 At 78 000 km2 equivalent to the size of Scotland Ouadi Rime Ouadi Achim is one of the world s largest protected areas 31 The first group was released at the beginning of 2016 in an acclimation enclosure and then fully released in the wild in the rainy season 2 That group was made of 21 animals which by the beginning of 2017 had already produced a calf the first birth in the wild for more than 20 years 31 A second group comprising six males and eight females was placed in the acclimation enclosure on 21 January 2017 31 The Marwell Zoo in Hampshire and the Edinburgh Zoo have also worked in partnership with ZSL to help reintroduce captive bred scimitar oryx to their former natural ranges 32 The Tunisian reintroductions began in 1985 with 10 scimitar oryx from the Marwell and Edinburgh Zoos co ordinated by ZSL In 1999 and 2007 Marwell co ordinated the release of scimitar oryx into three more protected areas within their former historic range In culture Edit Woodcut illustration of a unicorn from The History of Four footed Beasts and Serpents by Edward Topsell Ancient times Edit In ancient Egypt scimitar oryxes were domesticated 13 and tamed possibly to be used as offerings for religious ceremonies or as food 16 They were called ran and bred in captivity In ancient Rome they were kept in paddocks and used for coursing and wealthy Romans ate them The scimitar oryx was the preferred quarry of Sahelo Saharan hunters Its hide is of superior quality and the king of Rio de Oro sent 1 000 shields made of it to a contemporary in the Middle Ages Since then it has been used to make ropes harnesses and saddlery 3 Unicorn myth Edit The myth of the one horned unicorn may have originated from sightings of injured scimitar oryxes Aristotle and Pliny the Elder held that the oryx was the unicorn s prototype 33 From certain angles the oryx may seem to have one horn rather than two 34 35 and given that its horns are made from hollow bone that cannot be regrown if a scimitar oryx were to lose one of its horns for the rest of its life it would have only one 33 Modern times Edit In 2015 Yellow Nose a scimitar oryx that lives in Portland Oregon escaped and startled hikers in Forest Park 36 The following day he was caught and returned home 37 References Edit a b c d e IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group 2016 Oryx dammah IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 e T15568A50191470 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2016 2 RLTS T15568A50191470 en Retrieved 16 January 2022 a b EAD successfully reintroduces 25 Scimitar Horned Oryx in Chad Archived from the original on 2016 04 25 a b c d e f Gilbert T Woodfine T 2004 The Biology Husbandry and Conservation of Scimitar horned Oryx Oryx dammah PDF 2nd ed United Kingdom Marwell Preservation Trust ISBN 978 0 9521397 2 0 Archived from the original PDF on 2016 08 04 Harper Douglas oryx Online Etymology Dictionary Retrieved 2013 02 21 a b c d e f g h i Huffman B Oryx dammah Scimitar horned oryx Ultimate Ungulate a b c d e f Scimitar horned oryx Oryx dammah ARKive Archived from the original on 2008 10 26 Claro F Hayes H Cribiu E P 1994 The C G and R banded karyotype of the scimitar horned oryx Oryx dammah Hereditas 120 1 1 6 doi 10 1111 j 1601 5223 1994 00001 x PMID 8206781 Iyengar A Gilbert T Woodfine T Knowles J M Diniz F M Brenneman R A Louis E E Maclean N 1 June 2007 Remnants of ancient genetic diversity preserved within captive groups of scimitar horned oryx Oryx dammah Molecular Ecology 16 12 2436 49 doi 10 1111 j 1365 294X 2007 03291 x PMID 17561904 S2CID 19676013 Kumamoto A T Charter S J Kingswood S C Ryder O A Gallagher Jr D S 1999 Centric fusion differences among Oryx dammah O gazella and O leucoryx Artiodactyla Bovidae Cytogenetic and Genome Research 86 1 74 80 doi 10 1159 000015416 PMID 10516440 S2CID 40322591 Mungall E C 2007 Exotic Animal Field Guide Nonnative Hoofed Mammals in the United States 1st ed College Station Texas A amp M University Press p 169 ISBN 978 1 58544 555 4 Hoath R 2009 Other Artiodactyla Family Bovinae A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt Cairo Amer Univ In Cairo Press p 149 ISBN 978 977 416 254 1 a b c Scimitar horned Oryx Oryx dammah World Association of Zoos and Aquariums WAZA a b Oryx dammah PDF Sahelo Saharan Megafauna Sahelo Saharan Antelopes a b c Scimitar horned Oryx National Zoological Park a b c d e f g h i Johnson H Oryx dammah University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web a b Scimitar horned oryx Safari West Zoon J 22 March 2012 Elderly Oryx Dies at Smithsonian s National Zoo Smithsonian Newsdesk Retrieved 15 October 2012 Fayer R 2004 Cryptosporidium a water borne zoonotic parasite Veterinary Parasitology 126 1 2 37 56 doi 10 1016 j vetpar 2004 09 004 PMID 15567578 Alves M Xiao L Lemos V Zhou L Cama V Cunha M B da Matos O Antunes F 2005 Occurrence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp in mammals and reptiles at the Lisbon Zoo Parasitology Research 97 2 108 12 doi 10 1007 s00436 005 1384 9 PMID 15986253 S2CID 19339093 Alyousif M S Al Shawa Y R April 2002 A new coccidian parasite Apicomplexa Eimeriidae from the scimitar horned oryx Oryx dammah Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology 32 1 241 6 PMID 12049259 Chai N December 1999 Vegetative endocarditis in a scimitar horned oryx Oryx dammah Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 30 4 587 8 PMID 10749451 Morrow C J Wildt D E Monfort S L 1999 Reproductive seasonality in the female scimitar horned oryx Oryx dammah Animal Conservation 2 4 261 8 doi 10 1111 j 1469 1795 1999 tb00072 x S2CID 5707532 East R 1990 West and Central Africa PDF Gland IUCN p 27 ISBN 978 2 8317 0016 8 a b c Newby J E 1978 Scimitar horned Oryx the End of the Line Oryx 14 3 219 doi 10 1017 S0030605300015520 Oryx dammah O tao Animal Info Newby J 1980 Can Addax and Oryx be saved in the Sahel Oryx 15 3 262 doi 10 1017 S0030605300024662 United Nations Environment Programme 2008 Africa Atlas of Our Changing Environment PDF Nairobi Kenya United Nations Environment Programme ISBN 978 92 807 2871 2 Archived from the original PDF on 2016 04 16 Retrieved 2016 01 25 Godon I J Gill J P 2007 Reintroduction of Scimitar horned oryx Oryx dammah to Bou Hedma National Park Tunisia International Zoo Yearbook 32 1 69 73 doi 10 1111 j 1748 1090 1993 tb03517 x SCF Oryx Project receives strong presidential support SCF Sahara Conservation Fund Sahara Conservation Fund Archived from the original on 2016 04 15 Technical Workshop on the Reintroduction of Scimitar horned Oryx to the Ouadi Rime Ouadi Achim Game Reserve Chad May 2 4 2012 Sahara Conservation Fund a b c Scimitar horned oryx returns to Sahara Zoological Society of London ZSL 14 February 2017 Retrieved 28 February 2017 Days out in Hampshire Family day out near me a b Rice M 1994 The Archaeology of the Arabian Gulf c 5000 323 BC Routledge p 63 ISBN 978 0 415 03268 1 Arabian Oryx Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Archived from the original on 2007 10 10 Retrieved 2008 01 25 Tongren S 1981 What s for Lunch Animal Feeding at the Zoo GMG Publications ISBN 9780939456000 Hammond B 2015 An elk An oryx Large unusual looking horned animal reported on Germantown Road in Forest Park The Oregonian Mayes S 2015 Yellow Nose the oryx wandering Northwest Portland s Forest Park has been caught The Oregonian External links Edit Media related to Oryx dammah at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Oryx dammah at Wikispecies Oryx dammah at Encyclopedia of Life https www thenationalnews com uae environment 2021 12 22 abu dhabi sends critically endangered animals to chad outputType amp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Scimitar oryx amp oldid 1124722787, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.