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SPECIES PROFILE
Gemsbok (Oryx gazella)
Oryx
IUCN STATUS
Least Concern
CONSERVATION STATUS
Least Concern
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Southern African deserts
DIET
Herbivorous
HABITAT
Desert, dunes and arid savanna
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Artiodactyla
FAMILY
Bovidae
GENUS
Oryx
📋 Description
SIZE
Up to 1.2 m at shoulder; 180-240 kg
COLORATION
Fawn-grey with black-and-white face and long straight horns
ADAPTATIONS
Can raise its body temperature to save water; survives without drinking
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Desert, dunes and arid savanna
DIET
Herbivorous
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Southern African deserts
REPRODUCTION
Single calf
DIET DETAILS
Grasses, roots and wild melons
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Drought, hunting
💡 Interesting Facts
1
Namibia's national animal, able to survive the desert without ever drinking water.
2
Its rapier-like horns can be over a metre long and deter even lions.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Etosha National Park
Sossusvlei
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
May-October
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Scan dunes and gravel plains through the day; oryx are supremely heat-adapted and active even at midday.
