About the Addax

The addax, also known as the screwhorn or white antelope, is a critically endangered desert-dwelling mammal. Once roaming in vast herds across the Sahara Desert, these animals are now pushed to the brink of extinction with only a tiny population remaining in the wild.

These animals are considered the most desert-adapted of all antelopes. Their bodies feature numerous physical adaptations that help them endure extreme heat and arid conditions. For example, their coats change color with the seasons—turning almost bright white in the summer to reflect the sun’s harsh rays, and shifting to grayish-brown in the winter to absorb warmth. Furthermore, they have broad, splayed hooves that act as natural snowshoes, allowing them to traverse soft, shifting dunes without sinking. Both males and females possess stunning, spiraled horns that can reach up to 3 feet in length.

Because rainfall in their natural habitat is incredibly scarce, addaxes barely need to drink water to survive. They derive the moisture they need to sustain themselves from desert succulents, wild melons, and coarse grasses. They possess specialized stomach linings that store water pouches to prevent dehydration, and they are mostly nocturnal in the summer, saving energy by resting in the shade or digging depressions in the cool sand during the day.

Description of the Addax

The addax  measures about 4.5 to 5.5 feet in head-and-body length, and stands 3 to 3.8 feet tall at the shoulder, and weighs between 132 to 276 lbs.

Both sexes feature impressive spiraled horns that typically measure 27 to 33 inches in length.

How Hunting Saved the Addax

Hunting has saved the addax from total extinction primarily through the creation of a thriving, multi-million-dollar private ranching industry in Texas and Oklahoma. Because a mature addax bull is a highly prized trophy by hunters, ranchers have been intensively growing their herds. There are now more addax roaming private ranches in Texas and Oklahoma than exist in the rest of the world combined. If the species goes completely extinct in its native African range, the global survival of the addax is secure because of the stock maintained on hunting properties.