Oryx

What does an Arabian oryx eat?

The Arabian oryx eats mainly grasses. Herbs, seedpods, fruit, fresh growth of trees, tubers and roots also form part of its diet. An Arabian oryx can go for weeks without drinking water. The Arabian oryx apparently digs shallow depressions in soft ground under trees and shrubs for resting.

Arabian oryx habitat

The Arabian oryx lives in nomadic herds that follow the rare rains, and it is able to utilize effectively the fresh plant growth that occurs after a rainfall. The normal group size is 8 - 20 animals, but herds of up to 100 have been reported. A herd contains all ages and both sexes. Such herds probably stay together for a considerable time. Oryx are very compatible with one another - the low frequency of aggressive interactions allows animals to share scattered shade trees under which they may spend 8 of the daylight hours in the summer heat.

The Scimitar-horned oryx facts

The scimitar-horned oryx is named for its scimitar-shaped horns. An scimitar-horned oryx weighs up to 220 kg (480 lb). The scimitar-horned oryx inhabits the sub-desert lands - the transition zones between true desert (Sahara) and the Sahel, with a rainfall of between 75 and 150 mm (3 - 6"). It is found in rolling dunes, grassy steppes and wooded inter-dunal depressions. An scimitar-horned oryx very rarely penetrates either true desert or true Sahel country.

What do scimitar-horned oryxes eat?

The scimitar-horned oryx selectively feeds on a variety of foods - primarily grasses, but also  legumes and leaves and the fruit of trees and shrubs.  A scimitar horned oryx is well adapted to arid lands, being able to go for 9 - 10 months without drinking water by utilizing the moisture in the vegetation it eats.