This week's featured animal! 4/12 - 4/18

This week, the first week of existence and first week with a Featured Animal, has an animal from Africa! Oryx dammah, or the Scimitar-horned Oryx, is extinct in the wild. As a matter of fact, they haven't been seen in the wild for over 15 years!

They live in savannas, shrub lands, and deserts. Agriculture is a major threat to this species, along with hunting. It is thought that they probably existed mainly in Northern Africa, but is now only found in zoos around the world. We have one at Wildlife Safari! There are some attempts at reintroduction to the wild in a few countries in their former range. But so far, none of the captive populations are really considered to be ready for release.

These guys are usually around 4.6 feet tall at the shoulder, so I am taller than them by about 0.4 feet. Its not much, but I'll take what I can. They can be 4.9-7.5 feet long from head to butt, with a usually long tail. They can weigh anywhere between 220 to 460 pounds. While I may be taller than them, I am most certainly not heavier. They love grasses, herbs, roots, and buds. 

After a pregnancy period of about 8.5 months, females will give birth to one calf. They  like to live in herds of 20-40 individuals, with one male as the boss. But in times of plenty, it used to be that herds of up to 1000 were seen. 

What's really cool about these guys is if there isn't enough water, they actually raise their body temperature! Some animals, like bears, will lower that and their metabolism during hibernation. But these guys raise it, so they don't sweat away water, if there isn't enough drinking water.  Cool, huh?

My sources were

1. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AfricanSavanna/Facts/fact-oryx.cfm
2. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15568/0