Fun Addax Facts For Kids

Do you want to go through some interesting facts about an addax? An addax is one of the many wonderful animals that you can find in Africa which is known for its rich diversity of fauna. They are a type of antelope specifically found in Northern Africa in the Sahara Desert region. It is currently native to the countries Chad, Niger, and Mauritania. Previously, it was also found in Libya, Sudan, Algeria, Egypt, and Western Sahara but is no longer found there. Addaxes are also one of the most critically endangered animal populations in the world as certified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These animals have a strange diet to compensate for their physical surroundings, primarily the desert region of the Sahara.  An addax looks quite similar to a scimitar oryx but differs due to different types of facial markings and horns. Keep reading this article to learn some amazing facts about addax.
 

What type of animal is an addax?

Addax is a type of antelope and belongs to the family of Bovidae.

What class of animal does an addax belong to?

Addax belongs to the Mammalia class of animals and its genus is Addax.

How many addaxes are there in the world?

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), addax is a critically endangered animal and is nearly extinct. Studies show that there are less than 500 addaxes in the world. Some addaxes can also be found in European zoos and private ranches but those are very few in number.

Where does an addax live?

Although herds of addax never stay in one place for long, they are native to the desert region in the wild. Earlier this species was found in the desert and semi-desert areas of North Africa but now they are scattered in the northern parts of the countries Niger, Chad,  Mali,  Sudan, Libya, and Mauritania.

What is an addax's habitat?

The habitat of an addax is mostly a desert or dune region with a temperate climate. They can also be found in savannas or grasslands where they can get plants or vegetation to eat and can rear their offspring.

Who do addaxes live with?

Addaxes are herd animals and they move together in herds of about 5-20 addaxes. The dominant male addax leads their herds. The dominant male tries to protect their territory by keeping the fertile female addax within their herds. The females also create a hierarchy of their own with the oldest animals being the most important ones.

How long does an addax live?

The life span of an addax is up to 25 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

In the case of an addax, the males mate with many females in a lifetime. However, females mostly give birth to one calf per year. The breeding period of the females is most common during the spring and the gestation period lasts for eight months or so before the females give birth to continue the species and maintain the population.

What is their conservation status?

There are attempts being made to protect and conserve addax populations as they are currently in a critically endangered state according to IUCN. It is very easy for carnivorous predators like lions, cheetahs, leopards, and African Wild Dogs to chase and hunt an addax down as prey because they do not run very fast. In addition to that, continuous poaching and hunting of addaxes by humans have also made it difficult for the species to survive. Many addaxes also die due to unfortunate car accidents or are chased by humans till they get exhausted. Recently, the habitat of addaxes is also being affected due to droughts and desertification. Along with increasing human population, all of this is leading to loss of habitat for the addax which is causing a stark reduction in its numbers.

There have been efforts in Tunisia and Morocco to protect and increase the number of species by captive breeding. They are taken into captivity and it is ensured by scientists that they create offspring. After captive breeding is successful, the animals are then restored back to the wild in a protected natural territory that resembles their native habitat. This is done to ensure that the remaining addaxes have a healthy life and are not threatened by illegal human activities or predators.

What do addaxes look like?

Addaxes have white and sandy coats during summer which turns grey or brown during the winter. They have twisted horns and a soft black tuft of hair on their head. There are white markings on their head, belly, hips, and legs.

How cute are they?

Addax is a very cute and gentle antelope. Their spiral twisted horns add to their beauty. They also have soft coats of fur.

How do they communicate?

Like the rest of the antelopes, addaxes communicate with each other by making snorting sounds. They also touch and smell each other to communicate and to protect themselves when under attack.

How big is an addax?

The body length of an addax is different in the case of males and females. The length of an addax is 59-66 in (150-170 cm), their shoulder height is approximately 37-45 in (95-115 cm), and their tail length is on an average 9-13 in (25-35 cm) which is almost three times bigger than a dik-dik. The males of the population are slightly larger than the females.

How fast can an addax run?

Addaxes are not the fastest species in the Sahara region. They are quite heavy and move very slowly which makes it easy for predators to hunt them down.

How much does an addax weigh?

Male addaxes weigh between 220-300 lb (100-135 kg) while female addaxes weigh between 132-275 lb  (60-125 kg). An addax weighs almost ten times more than a koala!

What are their male and female names of the species?

Male antelopes are called buck while female antelopes are named doe.

What would you call a baby addax?

A baby addax is called a calf.

What do they eat?

Addax antelopes are herbivores so they mostly eat grasses and leaves as a part of their diet. Their source of food is from herbs, leguminous shrubs, and bushes that are available to them in the vegetation where they settle.

Are they friendly?

Addax is a type of antelope whose scientific name is Addax nasomaculatus. Antelopes are generally gentle animals who can be quite friendly depending on the context. Addax is a gentle animal that cannot run very fast. It also does not have any predatory instinct as it is a herbivore. Therefore, it does not threaten other animals and is quite friendly in zoos as well.

Would they make a good pet?

Addax is a species of antelope that is critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Addax populations are usually found in the wilderness of Northern Africa particularly in the desert regions. Therefore, they would not make a good pet for domestic purposes.

Did you know...

Baby addaxes who are also called calves are born with a sandy color. This color helps them to stay protected and hidden in their baby calves' sand to protect and camouflage themselves in the environment they are born in.

The diet of an addax consists of plants but it does not eat the entire plant but only parts of it. Addaxes eat using their short, blunt muzzle to eat coarse grass. They do not eat the outer, drier parts of the leaves but eat the tender, inner parts as well as the seeds. These seeds are an important source of protein for addaxes.

Out of all antelope-like animals, an addax is the most well-adapted as a species to a desert-like habitat. The lack of water in the Sahara desert region does not bother them at all since they have learned to preserve moisture and water in their body in their own unique way. Addaxes do not need to search for water sources as they do not need to drink water separately. They absorb moisture from the plants and the vegetation that they feed on and use it sparingly. Even the excreta of an addax is dry because they use up every bit of the water they get from their food.

Addaxes have unique feet that help their population walk on desert regions. Their hooves are like snowshoes so they never sink into the shifting sand.

Addaxes actually change the color of their coat depending on the temperature. This is also a tactic for them to adapt to their immensely hot environment. In the winter, they have grey-brown coats that help them keep warm. During summer, their coat becomes white or sandy in color to reflect the sunlight and keep them cool.

What do addax do in the daytime?

Since addaxes live in extremely high-temperature places like the Sahara desert, they have adapted accordingly to their habitat. When the weather is extremely hot, they rest during the day and venture out to feed during the night. They are also active during the early morning period.

Are males and females horns the same size?

The species addax is famous for its beautiful horns whose length on average is between 30-43 in (76-109 cm). Their horns have around 1.5-3 spiral twists. The length and size of the horns of addax horns in a male and female addax differ as the male addax has longer horns compared to that of the female addax. The average size of the horns of the female addax is 22-31 in (55-80 cm) while the size of the horns of the male addax is 28-33 in (70-85cm).

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our addax coloring pages.