---
title: "Scimitar-horned Oryx"
description: "Oryx dammah — Mammiferi. The scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah), also known as the scimitar-horned oryx and the Sahara oryx, is an Oryx species that was once widespread across North Africa and parts of West and Central Africa."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/scimitar-horned-oryx
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Scimitar-horned Oryx

> Oryx dammah — Mammiferi. The scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah), also known as the scimitar-horned oryx and the Sahara oryx, is an Oryx species that was once widespread across North Africa and parts of West and Central Africa.

- Scientific name: *Oryx dammah*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammiferi)
- Habitats: `desert` (Deserto)
- iNaturalist observations: 812
- Wikidata: [Q369817](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q369817)
- iNaturalist taxon: [42310](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/42310)

## Names

- en: Scimitar-horned Oryx
- de: Säbelantilope
- es: Orix de Cimitarra
- fr: Oryx Algazelle
- nl: Algazel
- pl: Oryks szablorogi

## Countries with the most observations

US (109), MA (27), TN (18), SN (12), TD (6)

## Summary

The scimitar oryx (Oryx dammah), also known as the scimitar-horned oryx and the Sahara oryx, is an Oryx species that was once widespread across North Africa and parts of West and Central Africa. In 2000, it was declared extinct in the wild on the IUCN Red List, but in 2023, it was downlisted to endangered, with a reintroduced population in Chad. This particular oryx is adapted to harsh desert conditions and can survive for months without drinking water. A grazing animal, it derives most of its daily moisture intake from plants.
The decline of the scimitar oryx population began as a result of climate change during…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scimitar_oryx

## Photo

![Scimitar-horned Oryx](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/scimitar-horned-oryx/medium.jpg)

Photo: Justin Philbois · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/167677344

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/scimitar-horned-oryx?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).