Oryx

Oryx Dammah

These beautiful animals, with their striking, sickle-shaped horns that sweep high over their backs, were once domesticated by the ancient Egyptians. A thriving population of this species used to inhabit the sub-desert lands of northern Africa, but they are now among the most endangered of wild antelope. (It is ironic that nowadays more scimitar oryx live on American game parks than in their native land.)

Also called scimitar-horned oryx, Sahara oryx, oryx de Libye, oryx algazelle, and orix de Cimitarra, these animals are mostly milky-white, stocky, and well adapted to the harsh, arid climate of northern Africa. They eat a variety of grasses and can go without drinking any water for months at a time.