The addax is a species of
antelope that is native to the Sahara desert. Sometimes referred to as the screwhorn antelope, they are critically endangered in the wild due to unregulated hunting.
Addaxes are around three feet tall at the shoulder and weigh 130 to 260lbs. Their most distinctive identifying features are the long, spiraling horns that occur on both sexes. These horns can reach nearly four feet long on males. The coloring of their coats varies by season; grey in the winter and nearly completely white in the summer.
Addaxes are ideally suited to living in a harsh desert environment. They are able to satisfy all of their hydration requirements with just the native grasses they eat and do not need to drink water to survive; however they will certainly drink from any water sources that are available.
Addaxes live in herds of two to fifty animals, usually led by a dominant older male. They are nomadic animals and will wander wherever food is available. They can be predated by lions, leopards and hyenas. It is estimated that there are fewer than 200 addaxes left in the wild, with an additional 800 living in captive herds.
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