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Oryx leucoryx
Orix Arabe (Sp), Arabischer Spiessbock (G), Oryx de l'Arabie (F).
DESCRIPTION (male) Shoulder height about 35 inches (89 cm). Weight 145-165 pounds (66-75 kg).
The smallest oryx and perhaps the most beautiful, with the white body color contrasting with the dark chocolate markings of the head, neck, legs and tip of tail. Its build is moderately heavy and there is a hump over the withers. The tail is long, with a bushy tip, and the hoofs are large and rounded as an adaptation for sandy terrain. The horns (both sexes) are long, straight and gradually divergent. Females are similar to males but somewhat smaller, and have slimmer and sometimes longer horns.
DISTRIBUTION Private properties in Texas.
REMARKS Arabian oryx were once widespread in Syria, Iraq, Israel, Jordan and throughout the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas, but were exterminated in the wild by 1972 from uncontrolled hunting by locals. Captive breeding programs have been underway since 1962 in the United States, Europe and some Arabian countries. Has recently been reintroduced in the wild in Oman, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
HYBRIDIZATION The Arabian oryx is either known or believed to crossbreed, or to be the result of hybridization, when in a game ranch environment.
The Trophy Records Committee decided to close X61 Arabian Oryx category until the Fish and Wildlife Service enacts a law specifying their jurisdiction on introduced animals in North America. The Arabian Oryx populations continue to grow from the efforts of private land owners who continue to breed and establish herds in Texas. Because of herd sizes in their native habitat Arabian Oryx are listed on Cites, Trophy Records Department will not accept any additional entries until the Fish and Wildlife Service recognizes that continued growth of herd sizes is dependant on private land owners and hunters.
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