Oryx

Oryx
A male gemsbok (Oryx gazella) at Etosha National Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Hippotraginae
Genus: Oryx
de Blainville, 1816
Type species
Antilope oryx
Pallas, 1777
Species

Oryx beisa Rüppell, 1835
Oryx dammah Cretzschmar, 1827
Oryx gazella (Linnaeus, 1758)
Oryx leucoryx Pallas, 1766

Oryx (/ˈɒrɪks/ ORR-iks) is a genus consisting of four large antelope species called oryxes. Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight. The exception is the scimitar oryx, which lacks dark markings on the legs, only has faint dark markings on the head, has an ochre neck, and has horns that are clearly decurved.

The Arabian oryx was only saved from extinction through a captive-breeding program and reintroduction to the wild.[1] The scimitar oryx, which was listed as extinct in the wild, also relied on a captive-breeding program for its survival.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference IUCNArabian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2016). "Oryx dammah". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T15568A50191470. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T15568A50191470.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as extinct in the wild.