the skewer-bucks extremely carries its name after this reaches and almost always straight horns, that are curled in its low half. The horns of the females often are the males thinner and longer than this. The torso is powerful; the neck is raised usually carried. The tail possesses a long Endquaste. The face is drawn black-and-white.
Habitat Skewer-bucks live in savannas, dry thornbush-forest, semi-deserts and deserts in the north, south and east of Africa as well as on the Arabic peninsula. The Arabic or white Oryx (Oryx leucoryx) is on the best tried at the desert-climate.
Way of life How hardly skewer-bucks are another big-mammal-type in sun and heat for the life suitable. Open water-places normally are not available to the animals of these areas. they must meet its water-demand from the food. Desert-grass contain only approximately 1 percent of water during the day-heat. they are so brittle that they break off with touch. At night, the humidity rises. The grass pick up approximately 30 percent of its weight through swelling at water. This water meets the demand of an Oryx of 4 -5 l largely daily. In dry-periods, skewer-bucks therefore graze predominantly at night.
Another adaptation is the protection against heat. The air-cushion in the fur insulates against the heat-radiation. The body-temperature can rise over the standard value of 38 °C about 5 °C without the Oryx incriminating it considerably. The sensitive brain is protected before Überhitzung: The nose-cave works through evaporation like a coolness-aggregate. The blood streaming through the nose-cave chills them again for his part the brain of looking after arteries. So, the Oryx keeps "a cool head" despite extreme heat.
Skewer-bucks are sociable and live in herds of 2-20 animals, sometimes, they form also herds of 100-200 animals. At the combination-time, they often live in pairs. Skewer-bucks are as well as during the day as also at night active. they often are in company of zebras and gazelles. The skewer-bucks hike on the search of pasture-places far around. Oryx are shy in general and don't let people get itself nearer than 200-300 m. By its Sinnesorganen, the eye is comparatively well developed.
Skewer-bucks defend themselves against attacks of carnivores with its horns. they lower the head in the defense so far that the horn-tops point forward and befall with big marksmanship.
Reproduction The combination-prelude consists about each other of a "combination-county" of males and females regularly. At intervals, Fechtduellen occurs, with which the partners cross the horns. If the female finally stops after the combination-prelude, the male executes the run-impact; then, it rides on. The Tragzeit of the Oryx amounts to approximately 270 days. Normally, they place only a young per throw. The dam isolates itself to the tossing of the herd.
Food Skewer-bucks eat grass predominantly. they dig for underground growing tubers, roots and fruits like the water-rich Tsamma, a melon-type, also with the front-runs.
Types 4 types of the type Oryx let themselves it distinguish: the Ostafrikanische skewer-buck or Beisa (Oryx beisa), the South African skewer-buck (Oryx gazella), that Arabic or white skewer-buck (Oryx leucoryx) and the saber-antelope (Oryx dammah).
Endangering South African and Ostafrikanischer skewer-buck is protected in several national-park and in its continuance Z. Zt. don't endanger. The Arabic skewer-buck was wiped out virtually completely in freedom and was abandoned again in Arabia in inferior number. The type is strongly endangered like the saber-antelope as well, who was also wiped out until on remains.
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