The ADax is a kind of artiodactyl mammal
Introduction
The animal that concerns us today is one of the most representative antelopes in Africa. We talk about Adax, a mammal that, unfortunately, today, is seriously threatened. If you want to learn more about him, don’t miss what comes next. General characteristics. The Adax (Addax nasomaculatus) was described by the French zoologist Henri de Blainville in 1816.
Developing
This artiodactyl mammal is included in the Bóvidas family, and for a long time it was known with the nickname of the white antelope, due to the color of its fur. The animals of this species have an average height of 1 meter, and with a weight of between 80 and 120 kilograms. Like its relative the Orix, the ADax is an antelope with a rounded body and long legs. The fur of these animals varies depending on the station, being rather brown in winter and much clearer in summer.
It has an unmistakable facial mask in the form of white X. But, without a doubt, what attracts attention when seeing the Adax are their horns. It has a couple of ringed horns, which grow up and screw themselves on themselves forming a spiral, a unique feature of this species. Habitat and Adax Adaptation.
These animals live in arid, stony and dry areas of Northwest Africa. Therefore, we talk about a species that is strongly adapted to this type of difficult land. To begin with, the shape of its hooves is adapted to walking through sandy or soft soil. Its way of adapting to extreme heat and avoiding dehydration is to avoid perspiration to reach a body temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. Another mechanism is based on water scarcity, since they can survive without hydrating for long periods.
Your activity period is reduced to night and dawn, when temperatures are more bearable. To feed, it usually makes great displacements in search of the low vegetation that there is, from which they also extract water. These displacements are usually linked to rainy seasons. CONSERVATION AND CURRENT STATE.
It should be noted that the ADax is not characterized by its speed. This makes them easy prey of fast predators such as lions or leopards, but also of the human being. Their scarce speed makes them an objective of hunters, reducing or even eliminating whole populations of these animals. The reduction of their habitat, droughts and harassment by humans is seriously threatening to adox
conclusion.
IUCN has cataloged this species in the category of ‘in critical danger’. Some countries and organizations are already taking measures for conservation. Among them, the Sauss-Massa National Park stands out in Morocco. In this enclosure several copies are being raised and acclimatized, which will later be reintroduced in nature to ensure their survival. Other captivity specimens can be observed in our country, in the Cabárceno Nature Park.
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