Five facts about Arabian Oryx, Qatar National Animal

The Arabian Oryx is one of the biggest desert mammals found in the Arab region. It is a medium-sized antelope that is native in the Arabian Peninsula. It adapts to the harsh desert environment. You can find the animal in arid plains as well as deserts. It has even been found in rocky hillsides as well as thick brush. The Arabian Oryx is a Qatar National Animal as well.

The following are five Arabian Oryx facts:

1. Where it is found

The Arabian Oryx habitat includes deserts as well as arid plains of Arabia. This is where temperatures are able to reach 50°C. They are therefore able to survive in harsh conditions.

The animal is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula. It actually became extinct in the wild and then got saved by zoos as well as private reserves. It was then reintroduced to the wild from 1980. Now there are wild populations of it present in different countries.

2. Lifestyle

The Arabian Oryx tend to be gregarious animals and often form herds that are of 5 to 30. When conditions are poor, the groups often include only a male with some females, and their young.

There are some males that live a solitary life. They hold large territories. In the herd, a dominance hierarchy is made by displays of posturing. They avoid severe injury with their long and sharp horns. The animals seem to detect rainfall from some distance away. They live a lifestyle similar to a nomadic one.

3. Diet

Arabian Oryx are herbivores. They eat grass along with herbs, and roots plus tubers. They are able to remain without drinking water for much time. Their diet is an herbivore one.

4. Mating

In the Arabian Oryx habitat, it can be seen that the animal’s mating behavior is a polygyny one. Therefore one male mates with more than one female in a single mating season. The timing of the births will vary.

They mate any time of the year. The pregnancy duration is for 240 days. They are able to carry one calf. The female name is doe, the male name is buck and the baby name is calf.

When conditions tend to be favorable, the female can produce one calf a year and that in any month. The young get weaned by the age of around 3.5-4.5 months. The females in captivity will first give birth at the age of 2.5-3.5 years old.

5. Can smell rain from a distance

It is possible for the Arabian Oryx can smell rain in the distance. At the time that the scent of rain gets carried on the wind, it is the head female Oryx that will lead the herd to find fresh grasses which the rainfall will have led to sprout.

The above are some interesting Arabian Oryx facts about the National Animal of Qatar. The animal is one of tremendous stamina which covers huge distances by foot in the desert. The animal is said to be one of beauty.