Addax

About

The Addax (Addax nasomaculatus), sometimes called the 'screw horn antelope', because of its twisted horns, is a large, desert dwelling member of the antelope family, closely related to the Oryx. The Addax is a critically endangered mammal.

The addax is gray-brown in winter and sandy to white in summer, with long, thin, spiral horns that slant back and upward. There is a white 'X'-shaped blaze on the face, and a mat of dense, dark hair on the forehead. Long hairs on the throat form a scraggly beard.

It stands about 1.1 m (3.5') at the shoulder and has large splayed hooves for walking in soft sand. It is the most desert-adapted of antelopes, being well adapted to heat, a diet of coarse grasses and the absence of water.

The coat of the addax varies in color depending on season. In winter their coat is a grayish brown color with white hind quarters and legs. During summer, their coat turns lighter, almost completely white or a sandy beige which helps to maintain body temperate as lighter colors reflect the heat more. They have black/brown tufts of hair on their tails. The animal runs in a flat gallop and appears stiff-kneed, due to minimal leg flexing while running. It is considered one of the slowest runners of the antelopes, perhaps reflecting its adaptation to sandy terrain.

The Addax is classed as 'Critically Endangered' by the IUCN. Addax are nearly extinct in the wild, having been eliminated from much of their original range. Farmers have destroyed many so that cattle do not have to compete for grazing land. There are only a few hundred left in the wild. Excessive hunting for its horns, flesh and hide seems to be the main cause of decline for the addax. The good news is that there are over 1,000 addax held in captivity in the US, Europe and the Middle East. There are reportedly 600 addax managed in captive breeding programs, therefore, with continued conservation efforts, the future for this amazing animal may be a success.

Behavior and food

The addax are most active from dusk until dawn, the coolest time (night) in the Sahara. Addax are nocturnal animals and are adapted to extreme desert conditions. Some addax are able to live far from each other in their habitat, but this does not cause any problems because they have over developed sensory skills that enable them to detect and locate each other over vast distances. To protect themselves from strong winds and the glaring sun during the day, addax dig 'beds' into the sand with their forefeet in which they rest, often in the shade of boulders or bushes. A nomadic species, this antelope wanders the dunes of the Sahara searching for the scant vegetation which grows there. The addax is able to obtain all needed moisture from its food, and rarely if ever drinks water. Males leave small piles of fecal matter, while females reportedly scatter their dung. Addax lives in small herds with a distinct social hierarchy, seemingly based on age.

Addax can also track rainfall and will head for rainy areas where vegetation is more abundant. Some addax live in herds which contain 5 - 20 individuals of both male and female addax. The herds generally stay in one place, but may wander in search of food. Herds are usually led by the eldest dominant male.

The addax mainly grazers supplemented by shoots and leaves. Addax are herbivores and their diet consists of desert succulents, leaves, Aristida grasses, herbs, perennials and small bushes (if available). They also feed up on Parnicum grass whereby they will only eat the inner shoots and seeds and disregard the dry, outer leaves. These seeds provide adequate protein in the addax diet. Addax can survive without water as their thirst is satisfied by the moisture they obtain from the plants in their diet.

Habitat

Addax prefer sand dune deserts and gravel plains. Addax once occurred throughout the deserts and sub-deserts of North Africa from the Atlantic to the Nile. However, by the late 1800's this range was already shrinking. By 1972, the addax was found mainly in Rio de Oro, Mauritania; North Mali and Chad; with some in Algeria, South Libya, and North Sudan. It was rare everywhere except in the uninhabited area in Mauritania and Mali in the Western Sahara. The only known remaining population of the addax is in the Termit/Tin Toumma region of Niger. There are sporadic records of small isolated groups and individuals from the Eastern Air Mountains/Western Ténéré desert in Niger, and from the Equey region of western Chad.

The decline of the addax has been caused mainly because of motorized hunting with modern weapons by indigenous people who sought meat and leather. The expansion of pastoral agriculture, prolonged drought, harassment by desert travelers, mining exploration, and in some areas tourists, have also been factors.

Quick Facts

Size (Head and body length): 150-170 cm (59.1-66.9 in)

Weight (Male): 99-123.75 kg (220-275 lbs)

Weight (Female): 60-125 kg (132-275 lbs)

Diet: Desert succulents, grasses and herbs, leaves of small bushes

Gestation: 257-264 days; one offspring per birth weighing 4.7-6.75 kg (10.5-15 lbs)

Sexual Maturity (Male): At 3 years

Sexual Maturity (Female): At 1.5 years

Life Span: Up to 19 years

Population: Approximately 500 left in the wild

Status: IUCN Critically Endangered

USFWS: Endangered

Did you know?

Addax rarely, if ever, drink water. They are specially adapted to absorb moisture from plants they eat. These desert antelopes' coat color changes from dark grayish-brown in winter to white in the summer - an efficient method of maintaining body temperatures.

Addax on Globe

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