East African oryx

About This Project

These oryx have beautiful markings on their heads and slender horns which can grow as long as 1.20 m! They live in the steppes and deserts of the Horn of Africa and in parts of Tanzania. For this reason they have a number of adaptations to help them minimise moisture loss. When the weather gets very hot and no water is available, their body temperature can rise to 46°C, reducing water lost through perspiration.

Our herd of East African oryx lives in the African plain enclosure together with the blue wildebeest and the white rhinos.

Latin name: Oryx gazella beisa
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Size: 1.55 – 1.70 m long, 1.1 -1.2 m tall
Weight: 150 – 200 kg
Lifespan: 18 years
Gestation: 8.5 – 10 months
Number of young: 1
Habitat: steppe – desert
Diet: herbivorous + frugivorous
Distribution: Horn of Africa
Conservation status: Endagered

Category
Mammalia