Dictionary:

addax

  (ăd'ăks')

Source

An antelope (Addax nasomaculatus) of northern Africa having long, spirally twisted horns.

[Latin, of African origin.]

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Addax nasomaculatus

TAXONOMY

Cerophorus nasomaculatus (Blainville, 1816), probably Senegambia. Monotypic.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Addax; German: Mendesantilope; Spanish: Addax.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Body length 3.6–4.3 ft (110–130 cm); shoulder height 3.1–3.8 ft (95–115 cm); tail 10–14 in (25–35 cm); 132–275 lb (60–125 kg). Horns 2–3.6 ft (60–109 cm) in male, 1.8–2.6 ft (55–80 cm) in female.

DISTRIBUTION

Historically ranged over entire Sahara Desert; now restricted to isolated populations in south Algeria, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Chad. Probably extinct in western Sudan.

HABITAT

Desert and semidesert, with sand dunes, hard-packed terrain, and scant vegetation.

BEHAVIOR

Formerly probably lived in family groups of 5–20 individuals led by dominant male, with social hierarchy based probably on age; now found only in groups of 2–4. Nomadic, following rains.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Eats desert grasses, succulents, herbs, and tender young shoots of shrubs and trees. Obtains all water from food.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Gestation period 257–264 days (8.5 months). Young born primarily in winter and spring; weaning at 3.5 months; females sexually mature at 1.5 years, males at three years. Lifespan up to 20 years in managed environments.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Critically Endangered; CITES I. Fewer than 250 remain in the wild. Competition with goats, disturbance from people, prolonged droughts, wars, and harassment by tourists in vehicles are all problems. Over 1,000 are registered in zoological collections worldwide, and in the United States, 2,000 are owned by private individuals. Reintroductions were initiated in Tunisia in 1985–1988 and in Morocco in 1994–1997.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Addax have been hunted extensively for their horns, meat and skin.

A North African antelope with long, ribbed, spiral horns. Called also Addax nasomaculatus.

Addax
Conservation status
Critically endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Hippotraginae Genus: Addax Rafinesque, 1815 Species: A. nasomaculatus
Binomial name
Addax nasomaculatus (Blainville, 1816)

The Addax (Addax nasomaculatus) is a critically endangered desert antelope that lives in several isolated regions in the Sahara desert. Although extremely rare in its native habitat, it is quite common in captivity and is regularly bred on ranches where they are hunted as trophies.

The Addax stands about 1 metre tall at the shoulder and weighs 60 to 120 kilograms. Their coat is white but their chest, neck and head are mainly brown with a white patch over the bridge of the nose and another around the mouth. They have a scraggly beard and prominent red nostrils.During summer their coat is white and during winter it is brown. Horns, found on both males and females, have two twists and can reach 80 centimetres in females and 120 centimetres in males. The hooves are broad with flat soles and strong dewclaws to help them walk on soft sand.

Addax live in desert terrain where they eat grass, and leaves of what bushes there are. Addax don't drink, but get all the moisture they need from their food. Addax are nocturnal: they rest during the day in depressions they dig for themselves.

Addax herds contain both males and females and have from two to twenty animals, though they had more in previous times. They wander widely in search of food. Addax have a strong social structure, probably based on age, and herds are led by the oldest male.

The Israeli Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve is breeding Addax in the Arava desert for possible release in the Negev desert, although this is outside their natural range.

One of the biggest captive breeding herds for Addax exists at the Hanover Zoo, Germany. They are raised there and some groups have been sent to fenced areas in Morocco and Tunisia, from where it is hoped they will be reintroduced into the wild.

Gallery

Two Addax at the San Diego Zoo

At the Hanover Zoo

References

• Newby & Wacher (2005). Addax nasomaculatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 08 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is critically endangered and the criteria used

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Addax

• ARKive - images and movies of the addax (Addax nasomaculatus)

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