Addax Hunting

Addax

(Addax nasomaculatus)

Current SCI all time record: Score 96 5/8 - Texas, Hondo - 2/95

Description: The short, glossy coat is off-white to pale grayish brown in colour, being generally lighter in the summer and darker in the winter. The rump, underparts, limbs, and lips are pure white. There is a white 'X'-shaped blaze on the face, and a mat of dense, dark hair on the forehead. Long hairs on the throat form a scraggly beard. The spiraled horns are found in both sexes, growing 60-109 cm / 2-3.6 feet long in males and 55-80 cm / 1.8-2.6 feet long in females. The wide hooves have flat soles and may be spread widely, which, along with the well-developed dewclaws, prevent the oryx from sinking in sand.

Other Common Names:

Size:

Range: (Indigenous to desert and semi-desert areas of North Africa, primarily Chad, but virtually eradicated by war and poaching): Primarily Texas; year around.

Natural History: The Addax is most active from dusk until dawn, the coolest time (night) in the Sahara. To protect themselves from strong winds and the glaring sun during the day, Addax dig 'beds' into the sand with their forefeet in which they rest, often in the shade of boulders or bushes. A nomadic species, this antelope wanders the dunes of the Sahara searching for the scant vegetation which grows there. The Addax is able to obtain all needed moisture from its food, and rarely - if ever - drinks water. Males leave small piles of fecal matter, while females reportedly scatter their dung. Addax live in small herds with a distinct social hierarchy, seemingly based on age.

Hunting Characteristics: