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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
addax
antelope |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Artiodactyla |
| FAMILY: |
Bovidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Addax
(wild animal with crooked horns) nasomaculatus
(nasus - the nose, macula - a spot
or mark) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Both
sexes have horns, mat of brown hair on forehead,
rest of body grayish-white |
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| SIZE: |
Head
and body length = 150-170 cm (59.1-66.9 in) |
| MALE |
Height
at shoulders = 105-114 cm (3.5-3.8 ft) |
| FEMALE |
Height
at shoulders = 93-108 cm (3.1-3.6 ft) |
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| WEIGHT: |
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| MALE |
99-123.75 kg (220-275 lbs) |
| FEMALE |
60-125
kg (132-275 lbs) |
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| DIET: |
Desert
succulents, grasses and herbs, leaves of small bushes |
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| GESTATION: |
257-264
days; one offspring per birth weighing 4.7-6.75
kg (10.5-15 lbs) |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
|
| MALE |
At
3 years |
| FEMALE |
At
1.5 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 19 years |
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| RANGE: |
Northern
Africa (Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) |
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| HABITAT: |
Sand
and stony desert, semi-desert, and barren steppes |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Approximately
500 left in the wild |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Critically
Endangered |
| CITES |
Appendix I |
| USFWS |
Endangered |
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| 1. |
Addax
possess broad, flat hooves with flat soles that
help prevent them from sinking into the desert sand. |
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| 2. |
These
antelope are one of the few species where male and
females have horns of the same size. |
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| 3. |
These
desert antelopes' coat color changes from dark grayish-brown
in winter to white in the summer - an efficient
method of maintaining body temperatures. |
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| 4. |
Addax
will dig depressions in the sand in which to rest.
These are often located in the shade of boulders
for protection from the wind and sun. |
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| 5. |
Often
considered the most-well adapted antelope to a desert
environment, addax rarely need to drink since they
are able to get most of the water they need from
the plants they eat. |
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| 6. |
Addax
herds would typically consist of 5-20 individuals,
led by one dominant male. Female herd members establish
their own dominance hierarchy, with the oldest individuals
achieving the highest rank. It should be noted that
this group structure is not as standard anymore
due to their near extinction in the wild. Most addax
now travel in small clusters of only a few individuals. |
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| 7. |
Addax
are one of the most endangered mammals in the world.
Current estimates show there to be less than 500
individuals left in the wild. |
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Addax
are nearly extinct in the wild, having been eliminated
from much of their original range. These antelope
have been hunted for their valuable meat and skin.
They have also been destroyed by farmers and cattlemen,
so as not to compete with their cattle for grazing
land. Much of the addax population was decimated
during the World Wars. Probably the only reason
they are still alive in the wild at all is the fact
that they can live in uninhabitable places with
extreme heat, extensive sand dunes, and other harsh
conditions where it is extremely difficult for humans
to reach. Since they are so heavily built they are
not capable of great speeds and are easily overtaken
by horses, dogs, and, of course, vehicles. Antelope
are important to habitats as grazers and browsers.
They are also important as prey for carnivores.
Addax reintroductions to a park in Tunisia have
been successful as well as reintroductions to Niger.
In a cooperative effort with other AZA (American
Association of Zoos and Aquariums) institutions,
Busch Gardens closely manages addax populations
through a program called the Species Survival Plan
(SSP), which works to improve the genetic diversity
of managed animal populations. Busch Gardens currently
has 30 SSP animals. |
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|
|
| Parker,
Sybil P. Grzimek's Encyclopedia: Mammals Vol.
5. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.
1990. |
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| Nowak,
Ronald M. Walker's Mammals of the World Fifth
Ed. Vol. II. Baltimore, MD.: John Hopkins University
Press. 1991. |
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|
Spinage,
C.A. The Natural History of Antelope.
New York: Facts on File Publications. 1986.
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| American
Zoo and Aquarium Association. www.aza.org |
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| University
of Michigan. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |
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