Common name: Addax
Scientific name: Addax nasomaculatus
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Addax populations were once plentiful, but over-hunting has led to critically low numbers. Hunting for meat and leather has led the population to potentially drop to less than 100 in the wild.
At the zoo: Cactus (male, 14y), Seguara (female, 12y), Piper (female, 5y), Beaucara (female, 4y), and Alban (male, 4y) all live at the southern end of the zoo by the red pandas.
Habitat:
Addax prefer arid regions, including sandy and stony deserts. They formerly inhabited all parts of the Sahara Desert, however, now only small populations remain on reserves in Niger and Chad.
Diet:
In the wild, Addax eat coarse desert grasses and the leaves of small bushes and trees. They get sufficient moisture from food and can go long periods without drinking water.
Life Expectancy:
11 - 13 years
Biology:
Addax weigh from 100 to 135 kg. They have grey/brown coats, with their colour changing (slightly) throughout the seasons. They have wide, splayed hooves to help keep them on top of sand.
A nomadic animal with the ability to survive in areas of extreme temperature and aridity, addax have been extirpated from most of their original range in North Africa. Due to disturbance from oil exploration and poaching, they are at risk of becoming extinct in the wild.
Fun Fact:
Did you know that Addax are also known as White Antelope or Screwhorn Antelope!?
