Gemsbok / Southern Gemsbuck / Southern Oryx
Oryx gazella (Linnaeus, 1785)
Photo: Doug Lee ...
Gemsbok
Mammal. The gemsbok is a large antelope who has adapted to live in hot, dry areas where most large mammals cannot.
Gemsbok
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
see oryx.
More on Gemsbok
Oryx - name for several small, horselike antelopes, genus Oryx, found in deserts and arid scrublands of Africa and Arabia.
Gemsbok generally live in herds of up to 40 individuals, often in association with other species of antelope or with zebras. The males are often solitary animals, however.
Gemsbok are swift-footed and are dangerous animals to prey on as they are known to spear lions with their long horns.
After a gestation period of 9 months, a single calf is born.
Other Names ...
Gemsbok
Oryx gazella
An elegant horse-like antelope, found in Africa.
The Gemsbok {Oryx Gazella}
You are here: South Africa / South African Wildlife / Gemsbok
Submenu - Information ...
GEMSBOK / ORYX - Oryx gazella
A quick look at the habitat of the gemsbok immediately draws a realisation of the inherent strength and survival capabilities of this animal.
Gemsbok
Africa Mammals Guide Information: A large antelope with striking black and white markings on the face and legs, black side stripes on the flanks and a long black tail. Bulls measure 1.2m at the shoulders and attain a mass of 240 Kg...
Gemsbok - Oryx gazella
Even-toed hoofed mammals (Artiodactyla), also known as cloven-hoofed mammals or artiodactyls, are medium- to large-sized mammals whose feet are structured such that their weight is carried by their third and fourth toes.
Gemsboks are sociable animals, spending time on open plains. They walk along in single file. Their general color is grayish brown with a black stripe extending along the lower sides of the body.
About Gemsbok
The gemsbok belong to a group of mammals called horse antelope which get their name from sturdy horse-like build. There are six species of gemsbok and they all have long horns. Their horns can be more than 3 ft long with pointed tips.
In Namibia, leopards are known to prey on kudu calves, gemsbok calves, steenbok, duiker, game birds, dassies, baboons bat eared foxes and even cheetahs and any other abundant prey in the area.
Lions were once exterminated from South Africa, where they remain in Kruger and Kalahari Gemsbok National Parks and possibly some other protected areas. Lions once ranged throughout southwest Asia and north Africa.
The one below is pulling on the carcass of a gemsbok, a big antelope native to the Kalahari desert.
Brown hyenas will also vary their diet with fruit, however -- the local species of melon is a favorite treat.
There are some exceptions, including the rare zebra duiker which has dark vertical stripes, and the gemsbok which has gray and black fur and a vivid black-and-white face.
1993: 260 (Primary populations in Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and Kruger National Park) (Stuart & Stuart 1996)
2003: May number fewer than 500 (Magill 2003)
Zimbabwe
1988: 470 (Oryx 1988j) ...
Experts are undecided as to how many other oryx species, or kinds there are:
East African oryx and the Gemsbok, classified as Threatened (some experts say these are the same kind, not two) ...
East African Oryx (O. beisa) Â- Scimitar Oryx (O. dammah) Â- Gemsbok (O. gazella) Â- Arabian Oryx (O. leucoryx)
Addax
Addax (A. nasomaculatus) ...
Penzhorn, B. L. 1971. A note on the sex ratio of steinbok Raphicerus campestris in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. Koedoe; 14: 61-64.
These animals graze on the abundant plants that grow there. At the NC Zoo, enjoy a walking safari though the Watani Grasslands exhibit and spot rhinos, elephants, Thompson’s gazelle, gemsbok, waterbucks, ostriches, and greater kudu.
Some antelopes include the gazelle, eland, impala, springbok, klipspringer, oryx, saiga, waterbuck, suni, hartebeests, topi, nyala, bongo, dik-dik, kob, duiker, gemsbok, etc. They are hunted by lions, leopards, wild dogs, and other predators.
 See also: Antelope, Oryx, Sheep, Cattle, Wildebeest
|
