ADDAX

ADDAXAddax nasomaculatus

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered

Droughts, desertification of savanna lands, increased human population

Vulnerability-_Critically Endangered

CLASS

Mammalia

ORDER

Artiodactyla

FAMILY

Bovidae

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General Characteristics:

Color: 

Sandy to almost white color during the summer, darkening to a grayish-brown in the winter. White markings on the face, ears, belly, hips, and legs and there is a black tuft of hair on the forehead. Horns present in both males and females.

Size:

60-67 in. (length), 37-45 in. (shoulder height)

Weight:

132 – 276 lbs.

Average Lifespan: 

Up to 19 years

Captive Lifespan:

Up to 26 years

Distribution:

Desert regions in Northeastern Niger, North Central Chad, Northwestern Mali, Eastern Mauritania, Southern Libya, and Northwestern Sudan.

Habitat:

Not restricted to areas with free water, usually found within the desert or the surrounding stony country.

Reproduction:

Mating: 

Throughout the year, most common during the spring

Gestation/Incubation:

257 – 264 days

Litter/Clutch Size:

1 – 2 

Mature: 

Males at 2 years, females at 2 – 3 years

Diet:

Desert grasses and scrub. Spend most of their lives without drinking water; receive enough moisture from vegetation to survive.

Behavior:

Diurnal, territorial, and social. Move through desert in herds of 5-20, led by a dominant adult male. Search great distances for sparse vegetation.

Teaching Facts:

1. Recent droughts, desertification of savanna lands, and increasing human population have all contributed to the decrease of addax populations.

2. Their meat and skin are prized by local people who use the hides for shoes and sandal soles.

3. They are heavily built and slow running, and often die of exhaustion after being chased by tourists in vehicles.