Wildlife of the World
Puzzle 80 · Deserts and High Plateaus · Page 117 in print
Arabian Oryx
Arabian oryx disappeared from the wild by 1972. Animals maintained in captivity supplied breeding and reintroduction programmes, allowing this white desert antelope to return to parts of the Arabian Peninsula.
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Arabian oryx stand beneath an open desert sky in Oman.
Species reference for Arabian Oryx. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
A group of Arabian oryx gathers in the United Arab Emirates.
Species reference for Arabian Oryx. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Brook, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The words
Al Maha
The oryx is locally known as Al Maha.
Antelope
The Arabian oryx is a large antelope.
Arabia
The oryx once had a wide distribution across Arabia.
Calves
A female can produce a calf once a year.
Extinction
People nearly drove the oryx to extinction.
Jordan
Oryx have been reintroduced in Jordan.
Moisture
Oryx get moisture from melons and succulent bulbs.
Oman
The oryx was reintroduced in Oman.
Oryx
The Arabian oryx is a pale desert antelope with long, straight horns.
Phoenix Zoo
The zoo helped rescue the Arabian oryx from 1962.
Qatar
Royal collections in Qatar helped supply oryx for reintroduction.
Straight Horns
Oryx have long, straight, slender horns.
Tubers
Oryx root up succulent tubers buried in the sand.
White Coat
The Arabian oryx is an almost pure white antelope.
World Herd
Nine oryxes formed the nucleus of the World Herd.
Sources
- Arabian Oryx (source capture)IUCN Red List factsheet: The Arabian Oryx (2011)
- Arabian Oryx (source capture)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- oryx-historywww.phoenixzoo.org
- Arabian Oryx (source capture)San Diego Zoo Safari Park