Addax antelope (aka white antelope & screwhorn antelope)
Gravely Endangered Desert Antelope.
They are the best desert-adapted of all antelopes since they can survive on very little water and diets of coarse grass and can travel vast distances in search of food. They hydrate themselves from the plants they eat and the dew in the morning and evening. Also, they preserve the very little water they get by peeing highly concentrated urine.
Screwhorn Antelope
A very distinctive feature they have is their horns which are long and spiraled. The males’ horns grow nearly as long as 4 feet. Their broad, flat and widely splayed hooves allow them to travel effortlessly on the sandy deserts. They are rather slow travelers and therefore are easy targets for hyenas, lions, leopards and African wild dogs.
5-20 member herds
The addax live in herds of about 5-20 members, and are led by one male addax. The males defend their territories and will mate with more than one female. Generally only a single young is born and is completely weaned when it is around a month old.
Nocturnal
Addaxes are mainly nocturnal animals being active mostly in the dark. During the day they either huddle together or dig out depressions in the sand and shelter themselves from the hot desert heat. They prefer to rest during the day.
Changing Coat
Another interesting feature is that their coat changes color with the season. It is gray in the winter and almost completely white during the summer.
YouTube video playlist
The YouTube video playlist below contains videos about Addax. Details of the videos featured are underneath.
The Playlist:
- Addax by KnowledgeClips
- Jala face Addax antelopes by kolmarden
- Addax in the Sahara Desert by stlzootube
Addax are featured in the following kids books:
25 Desert Animals
25 Endangered Animals
101 Facts… Desert Animals
