FaunaHub
CRCritically EndangeredPartial review

Addax

Addax nasomaculatus

Addax (Addax nasomaculatus), a pale desert antelope with long spiral horns.

Addax (Addax nasomaculatus), a critically endangered desert antelope.

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
CR · Critically Endangered
Animal group
Mammals
Population trend
Decreasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The addax is a pale desert antelope of the Sahara, with long, gently spiralled horns and wide hooves suited to soft sand. It is assessed as Critically Endangered, and is now extremely rare in the wild.

Superbly adapted to extreme desert, it can survive long periods without drinking, drawing moisture from its food.

Range & habitat

A desert antelope of the Sahara, now reduced to tiny remnant numbers in the wild, mainly in Niger and Chad.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Uncontrolled hunting
  • Disturbance from oil exploration
  • Drought and habitat degradation

Why it matters

The addax is one of the most desert-adapted large mammals alive, and its near-disappearance is a stark indicator of how heavily the Sahara's wildlife has been hunted.

Gallery

A male addax showing its long, twisted horns.

Male addax (Addax nasomaculatus) with its spiral horns.

Image: HaytemBouchri93, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Addax

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the addax Critically Endangered?
Published assessments cite uncontrolled hunting, disturbance from oil exploration, and drought and habitat degradation. Only a tiny wild population is thought to remain, though it is also kept in captivity. See the IUCN Red List.
How does the addax survive in the desert?
It can go for long periods without drinking, getting most of its water from the desert plants it eats, and its splayed hooves help it walk on loose sand.

Last updated: