Addax, Appearance, Behavior, Habitat, Diet, Threats and Predators, Population, Unbelievable Facts about Addax, and Reproduction

 Addax

Appearance

The addax is distinguished for its stunning color and, in particular, its spiral horns. Males are somewhat taller than females, standing between 41 and 45 inches at the shoulder as opposed to 37 to 43 inches for females. Males weigh between 220 and 276 pounds, while females weigh between 130 and 200 pounds. Males are also heavier. The animal's keen sense of smell and superb peripheral eyesight are two traits that enable it to track the rain.

Seasonal variations affect Addax's coat. In the winter, it is mostly gray-brown with white legs and a rump. In the summer, the coat nearly completely becomes white or blond. Between the horns, there is a tuft of brown hair that cascades down forming a mane. On the face, there are spots on the nose that form an X. The animal also has a short tail that culminates in a black tassel, a beard, and particularly crimson nostrils.

Although the legs and feet of the addax are designed for endurance, they are not designed for speed. The animal's "knees" appear to scarcely bend as it moves, according to observers. Because of this, it is simple food for predators like lions, hyenas, and people. The longest horns measured 43 inches in length, although they may grow up to 33 inches long. The middle and bottom of the horns feature 30 to 35 ridges. Males fight for females using their horns to intimidate other males.

An Addax is most easily recognized by its spiral horns.

Behavior

Addax is a mammal that lives in herds, some of which, according to some scientists, are led by the alpha male and others by the alpha female. They are aware that females form hierarchies among themselves, with the eldest females ruling. Males create territories and protect the females who live there. Despite once being enormous, modern herds today only consist of five to twenty animals. Following the rains, Addax herds travel large distances in search of grass.

It's interesting to note that Addax spends most of its time at night since the colder temperatures allow for better movement. They dig shaded depressions to lay in during the hottest part of the day. Additionally reflecting heat and keeping them cool, their light-colored coats.

Habitat

Addax is a desert-dwelling animal that also travels to savannas and grasslands. Unfortunately, it is no longer found in places like Egypt, Mauritania, and the Western Sahara where it once roamed freely.

Diet

The white antelope consumes a variety of grasses, such as panic grass seeds, wiregrass, and tussocks. If there is no grass available, it will consume the leaves of tiny trees and bushes. The animal gets enough water from these plant meals to avoid having to drink.

Threats and Predators

Carnivores like cheetahs, hyenas, and leopards have always been able to prey on Addax because they are unable to outrun them. Even though they were quick runners, they were no match for the humans who hunted them for their meat and hides or who just wanted to hang their heads and gorgeous horns on their walls. Since the middle of the 19th century, the antelope population has been declining as a result, and it is currently severely endangered. However, thousands of addax live in zoos and private menageries, and many nations, like Algeria and Morocco, have implemented conservation measures.

When circumstances are damp, Addax also has the propensity to host parasites. Nematode species are often the most frequent parasites of antelope.

Reproduction

The male addax is ready to procreate when he is around three years old, and the female addax is ready when she is roughly one and a half years old. The dominant male mates with the fertile females in his herd because males protect females in their region. Addax can reproduce at any time of the year, however, they usually do so in the early spring or in the late winter. After a little less than nine months of pregnancy, the female gives birth to one calf. At birth, calves weigh around 11 pounds, and they wean at about seven months old. Just a few days after giving birth, the female enters estrus again.

The white antelope has a lifetime of around 19 years in the wild, but if it is given proper care while in captivity, it can live an additional six years or more.

Population

These antelopes are thought to be extinct in the wild as there are only 500 or fewer left, however, there are undoubtedly thousands in zoos or private menageries. In order to aid the natural populations, breeding programs have been formed, and addax has been reintroduced in areas where it was once common, including the Grand Erg Oriental in the Sahara Desert and Tunisia's Bou-Hedman National Park.

Amazing Facts about Addax 

The addax has cow-like, squarish teeth, unlike other antelopes. Additionally, unlike other antelope, addax lack faces glands but do have scent glands on their feet.

Each horn has between one and a half and three twists and is present in both sexes.

The fact that the addax hardly ever needs to drink water is one of its adaptations to the desert habitat.