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ADDAX
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Addax nasomaculatus
HOUSE NAME: Male "Dobby" Female "Penelope"
HABITAT: Sahara desert, Africa
CONSERVATION STATUS: Critically Endangered
FUN FACT: The addax is well adapted to life in the desert, even in the most arid parts, where there is virtually no vegetation. It survives on sparse growth that occurs in the desert after the rare meager rain falls. Can survive for weeks or months without drinking water.
Image Above: Female Addax Penelope
DIET: Eats desert grasses, succulents, herbs, and tender young shoots of shrubs and trees. Does not require standing water but will drink if available.
DESCRIPTION: Addax have a barrel shaped torso which reduces the surface-to-volume ratio, an advantage to maintaining a constant body temperature in the wide range of air temperatures experienced in the Sahara Desert. Body length: 3.6 – 4.3 ft.; shoulder height: 37” – 45”; Tail: 10” – 14” with a small tuft at the end; weight: 132 – 275 lbs. Horns have a spiral twist 1 ½ to 3 turns. Horn length for a female is 21 ½ “– 31” and a male 24” - 43” (length along the curves). Coat is grayer in the winter, paler in the summer. The forehead is dark; a white X-shaped band occurs across the nose. Muzzle is hairy except for a thin strip between and above nostrils. Widely splayed hooves are an adaptation for traveling on desert sands.
Image Above: Male Addax Dobby has a unique horn. The horn has grown sideways since birth but does not hinder him.
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