The addax is an antelope mammal native to the Sahara Desert with long, twisted horns. In arid environments, semideserts, and sandy and stony deserts, the addax lives in herds that range in size from five to twenty individuals. Predators like humans and lions may easily take it as a meal since it is an easy target.
They live in herds of five to 20 members in arid regions, semideserts, and sandy and stony deserts. Predators like humans and lions may easily kill it.
They are a critically endangered species of antelope that is common in captivity. It is extirpated from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Western Sahara.
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Addax Facts for Kids
- Addax are an endangered species
- Addax are herbivore
- Addax lives up to 19 years in the wild
- Hooves are flat to prevent sinking in the desert sand
- Addax weigh between 132.1-275.3 lb (60-125 kg)
Scientific Name
The white antelope is named Addax nasomaculatus and is believed to have crooked horns and a spotted nose.
Diet
Their native habitat is the desert terrain, where it eats grasses, leaves of shrubs, leguminous herbs and bushes, and perennials. It crops Aristida grass to the same height and eats Panicum grass for its seeds.
Appearance
The addax is noted for its spiral horns and beautiful color. Males are bigger and weigh more than females, but both have excellent senses of smell and peripheral vision.
The coat changes with the seasons and is gray-brown in winter with white legs and rump. It also has a beard and red nostrils.
They have short legs, feet, and horns that can be as long as 33 inches. Males use their horns for sparring with other males over female addax.
The coat of the addax changes color with the changing of the seasons, going from a bluish-gray color in the winter to a white or sandy blonde color in the summer. They have big red noses and scraggly beards that are unkempt.
Behavior
Addax lives in herds, and the alpha female establishes territories and guards the females within them. They are largely nocturnal and travel long distances to find vegetation after rain.
Addax is a nocturnal animal that digs into the sand to rest. They are found along the northern edge of the tropical rain system and move north as winter falls.
Predators and Threats
The addax is endangered because it can’t outrun its predators and is valued for its meat and hides.
The addax lives in herds of five to 20 members in arid regions, semideserts, and sandy and stony deserts. It is an easy target for predators such as humans and lions.
Predators include
- Humans
- Lions
- Leopards
- Cheetahs
- African wild dogs
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Addax breeds in the earliest spring or late winter and gives birth to one calf that weighs 11 pounds at birth and is weaned at seven months old.
Females become sexually mature at 2 to 3 years, and males at about 2 years. They breed throughout the year.
The peak of the breeding season occurs towards the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the northern Sahara, but in the southern Sahara, the peak of the breeding season occurs from September to October and from January to mid-April.
Population
There are probably 500 or fewer addax antelopes remaining in the wild, but breeding programs have been established to help the wild populations.
The addax antelope is a rare herbivore found in the deserts of northern Africa. It eats grasses and cornulaca, but will also browse the leaves of acacia trees and other shrubs.
The white antelope is endangered because of poaching and the destruction of its habitat. It now lives in zoos and ranches and in pockets in deserts in northern African countries.
