Arabian Oryx

Arabian Oryx

The Arabian oryx is the most highly specialized of the oryx for living in true desert extremes. Their light color reflects sunlight and the desert heat. On cold winter mornings, they trap their body heat in their thick undercoats to keep warm. Their legs also darken in the winter to absorb more of the sun's heat.

The oryx can smell rain from far away. When the wind brings the scent of rain, the head female oryx leads her herd in search of the fresh grasses which will have sprouted because of the rainfall.

The legend of the unicorn may have started with the Arabian oryx. When you look at them from the side, their two horns look like one. Their horns can reach 22 to 58 inches in length!

Area:  
Oman and Jordan

Habitat: 
 Desert and semidesert, steppe, and savanna

Food:  
Grasses, herbs, fruit, roots, and melons

Size: 
 3 to 4 feet tall, approximately 300 pounds

Babies:
  A newborn calf stands and walks an hour after being born.

(source:googe/http://adminkids.sandiegozoo.org)