ORYX – MAJESTIC DUNE DWELLER
Oryx gazella, Oryx or Gemsbok, as it is known in Namibia, are one of the few antelopes that can survive
in the harshness of the Namib Desert.
Contact us to arrange your Namibia safari and have the chance to see theses animals in the wild.
This majestic beast is truly a splendid animal.With its noble face painted in white and black stripes and its
straight sharp horns, the Oryx makes a perfect picture. Its body is covered in coarse hair,
mainly grey in colour, with a black stripe on the stomach, and finally finished off with white.These colours one
would say make it stand out in an environment of sand dunes and plains, but not so. These colourations amazingly
enough makes the Oryx blend in with its environment. The main idea of this is of course to stay hidden from
predators. Defensively there are not many other animals in the animal kingdom that can be compared with an Oryx.
Lighting fast strikes with its sharp horns makes one think of a swordsman with a rapier. Dangerous and deadly these
blows can be, if used with such speed. It has been seen where an Oryx have killed a lion
with these sharp horns. Another amazing fact of this animal, and this sets itself far apart from any other animal,
is the fact that it can stay alive in conditions of up to 45 degrees Celsius. Other animals will start dying at
these temperatures, as their blood circulating through their bodies will not cool down enough to withstand the
temperature. The Oryx have a system where by blood from its heart passes through its nose, where a lot of fine
blood vessels are situated and cools the blood down before it enters the brain of the animal. It relates to the
same system as a car’s radiator, and is extremely effective in the desert environment.Oryx in the Namib Desert can
go without water for periods of a month and longer, by applying other strategies they have developed over the ages.
They get water from the plants they eat, mainly bulbous roots, and also utilise the fog that condensates when it
rolls in from the cold Atlantic Ocean. An Oryx also recycles its urine so to speak, and when it does urinate it
comes out as a sticky fluid, rather than urine we humans know. These are just some of the adaptations of this
magnificent animal.Oryx occur all over Namibia, and to compare the Oryx of the Namib Desert to the ones living
in Etosha National Park is not possible. Each separate group of animals have adapted to their own unique
environment. To observe Oryx in the Namib Desert is straight out of fairy tale books. Running with ease, its long
black tale flowing behind it makes a sight not to be forgotten for a long time. To watch an Oryx against the
backdrop of a dune is just stunning to say the least.
There are many animals to be found in Namibia, but surely the Oryx has a place of its own.
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