The scimitar oryx, or scimitar-Horned oryx, (Oryx dammah); also known as Sahara Oryx is a species of oryx which formerly inhabited the whole of North Africa. It has been classified as extinct in the wild by the IUCN.^[1]

Etymology and taxonomy

The scimitar Oryx is named so referring to its magnificent horns,^[3] resembling a scimitar. The name is composed of two words: orux (Greek), meaning a gazelle or antelope; and damma (Latin), meaning a fallow deer, an antelope, and also dammar (Arabic), meaning a sheep.^[4] The nomenclature of this animal has undergone many changes since its discovery in the early 19th century. It was first described by Lorenz Oken, a German naturalist, in 1816 as Oryx algazel, but the name was soon replaced by Oryx dammah a decade later by Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar, a German physician. In 1827 the species name leucoryx was used, but was soon assigned a synonym to the Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx).^[5] Though the oldest name Oryx algazel was reintroduced after the name leucoryx failed, Sir John Ellerman (2nd Baronet), English shipowner, natural historian and philanthropist, and Terence Morrison-Scott, a British zoologist, realized that name was not suitable, in 1951. Finally in January 1956, the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature accepted Oryx dammah as the scientific name, though many papers published shortly after that created confusion by using other names.^[5]

Physical description

Close view of a scimitar oryx in the Werribee Open Range Zoo in Victoria, Australia.

The scimitar oryx is just over a meter (3.28 ft) at the shoulder and weighs around two hundred kilograms (440 lbs). Males are larger than females. Its coat is white with a red-brown chest and black markings on the forehead and down the length of the nose.^[4] Calves are born with yellow coats and lack distinguishing marks which appear later in life.^[6] Their pelage changes to adult coloration at 3–12 months old.^[7] On a physiological level, the coat reflects the pale rays of the sun, while the black portions and tip of the tongue provide protection against sunburn.^[7][8] The white coat helps in reflecting the heat of the desert.^[9] Both sexes bear horns, and the females are more slender.^[6] The horns are long, thin and symmetrical and curve backwards (a distinct feature of this species) and can reach a meter to a meter and a quarter (3.28 - 4.1 ft) on both the male and the female. The horns are so thin that they can break easily.^[4] They have long tails measuring 60 centimeters (2 feet).^[4] The female has 4 nipples.^[2] The large, spread hooves are well-adapted and allow these antelopes to walk on the sand of their dry habitat.^[3] A scimitar oryx can live as long as 20 years.^[4][9][10]

Ecology

The scimitar oryx is a very sociable animal; for this reason, they form herds of mixed sex (the sex ratio being 50:50) containing up to 70 animals. Though not observed, it is believed that bachelor males form their own herds. Formerly they would gather in groups of several thousand for migration. During the wet season, herds migrate north into the Sahara Desert. Most often in any particular herd there will be a dominant or alpha bull. Usually these bulls provide guidance to the herd for their movements.^[6] A diurnal animal, the scimitar oryx rests in the cool early mornings and evenings. Resting places include trees and shrubs, but when neither are available they dig holes in the soil with their hooves and rest there. The males fight several times, but these fights do not last long and are not violent. Mostly weak and young oryx can be killed by predators like lion, leopard, hyena, cheetah, golden jackal, vulture and Cape hunting dog.^[4][5]

Adaptations

Scimitar oryx grazing in herds in a grassland.

With functioning metabolism at these high temperatures, less water is needed for evaporation in order to help conduct heat away from the body. This reduced evaporation of bodily fluids helps these oryx go long periods without water. They can also modify their body temperature to almost 46.5°C before beginning perspiration.^[3] In times of ample supply, oryx can also use fluid loss through urination and feces, to lower their body temperatures below 97 F (36 C) at night, thus allowing them more time before maximum body temperature is reached the following day.^[6] The oryx can tolerate high temperatures that would be lethal to most mammals. They have a network of fine blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the brain. These blood vessels travel close to the nasal passage, allowing cooling of up to 5°F of the blood before it is pumped to the brain, one of the most heat sensitive organs of the body.^[6][9]

Diet

Scimitar oryx natively inhabit steppe and desert where they eat foliage, grass, herbs, shrubs, succulent plants, legumes, juicy roots, buds, and fruit.^[6] Scimitar Oryx can survive without water for even 9–10 months, a notable adaptation of the animal in the desert climate, because their kidneys prevent loss of water from urination. It can still rely upon water-rich plants such as the wild melon Citrullus colocynthis and leafless twigs Capparis decidua and Indigofera oblongifolia. In the night or early morning they often search for plants like Indigofera viscosa, which produce a hygroscopic secretion, which fulfills water requirements. They do not like to eat tuft grasses like Cymbopogon schoenanthus, though they could be immediately available after a rain, but prefer more palatable grasses like Cenchrus biflora, Panicum laetum and Dactyloctenium aegyptium. When the dry season begins, they feed upon seedpods of Acacia raddiana. During the dry season the oryx rely upon perennial grasses of genera like Panicum (notably Panicum turgidium),^[2] Aristida and browse species like that of Leptadinia and species Cassia italica and Cornulaca monacantha.^[5]

Reproduction

A young oryx with its mother.

Both males and females reach sexual maturity at 1.5–2 years of age.^[4] Births peak in between March and October.^[4] The frequency of matings depend upon the environmental conditions. The more favorable the conditions, the more the matings occur. Zoo males are active in autumn.^[5] Courting is done through the means of a mating circle. The male and female stand parallel to one another facing opposite directions. They then circle around one another until the female allows the male to mount from behind. However, if the female is not ready to mate, she can run away and circle in the reverse direction.^[6] Ejaculations occur in 30 minutes of courtship.^[5] Pregnant females leave the herd for a week, give birth to the calf and re-conceive due to their postpartum estrus, with which it can produce a calf a year.^[7] The gestation period lasts about 8–9 months, after which a single offspring is born, weighing an average of 20 to 33 lbs (9 to 15 kg).^[6] Within hours after birth, both mothers and calves return to the main herd.^[4] The female separates herself from the herd for a few hours while she nurses the young. Weaning starts at 3.5 months. The young become fully independent at around 14 weeks of age.^[3] The Scimitar Oryx also breeds with other species like Gazella dorcas, Gazella dama, and others.

Habitat and distribution

The scimitar oryx inhabits grassy steppes, semi-deserts (mostly in the Great Steppe^[6])and deserts in a narrow strip of central north Africa (Niger & Chad).^[2][3][4] It is considered extinct in the wild, however. Now it is taken regionally extinct in Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and western Sahara Desert.

Status and conservation

A group of scimitar oryx at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire, UK

Scimitar oryx were hunted for their horns, almost to extinction. Originally it began to decline as a result of major climatic changes that caused the Sahara Desert region to become dry. The northern population was mostly lost prior to the 20th century. The decline of the southern population accelerated as Europeans began to settle the area and hunting for meat, hides and horn-trophies increased. It is thought that World War II and the Civil War in Chad during the 1980s impacted heavily on the species through an increase in hunting for food.^[3]

Where once they occupied the whole Sahara Desert, they are now considered to be extinct in the wild, with no confirmed sightings in the wild for over 15 years.^[1] Although there have been unconfirmed sightings in Chad and Niger, these reports remain unsubstantiated, despite extensive surveys that were carried out throughout Chad and Niger in 2001-2004 in an effort to detect Sahelo-Sahara Desert antelopes.^[1]

A global captive breeding programme was initiated in the 1960s. In 1996, there were at least 1,250 captive animals held in zoos and parks around the world with a further 2,145 on ranches in Texas.^{[citation needed]} In 2005, at least 1,550 captives were managed as part of breeding programmes and it is believed that more than 4,000 are held in private collections in the United Arab Emirates.^[1] As part of the reintroduction plans, there are fenced in herds in three reserves in Tunisia, one reserve in Morocco and two reserves in Senegal.^[1]

A female calf was born in the National Zoo center in Front Royal, Virginia on April 16, 2010, increasing the Smithsonian's herd to 17.^[11]

In culture

This woodcut is an illustration of the Unicorn from the book The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents by Edward Topsell.

Primitive times

In ancient Egypt the scimitar oryx was domesticated^[8] and tamed for uncertain causes, but believed to be offerings for religious ceremonies or food for people.^[10] They were called 'ran' and bred in captivity. According to an inscription in a tomb, a certain Sabu of Sakkarah owned 1308 oryx during 2320–2150 BC. In ancient Rome the antelopes were kept in paddocks and used for coursings and were also a part of the buffet of wealthy Romans. It has been an integral animal for hunting for Sahelo-Sahara Desert tribes. The hide of the Scimitar Oryx is of a superior quality, and regarding this the king of Rio de Oro sent 1000 shields made of this hide to a contemporary in the Middle Ages. Since then this hide has been used to make many things like ropes, harnesses and saddlery.^[5]

Unicorn myth

It has been suggested that the myth of the one-horned unicorn may originate from sightings of injured scimitar oryx; Aristotle and Pliny the Elder held that the oryx was the unicorn's "prototype".^[12] From certain angles, the oryx may be mistaken for having one horn instead of two,^[12] and given that its horns are made from hollow bone which cannot be regrown, if an oryx were to lose one of its horns, it would, for the rest of its life, have only one horn.

References