East African oryx

The East African oryx stands between 0.79 and 1.25 m (2.6 and 4.1 ft) tall at the shoulder and typically weighs between 220 to 460 lb (100 to 209 kg). It has a grey coat with a white underside, separated from the grey by a stripe of black, with black stripes where the head attaches to the neck, along the nose, and from the eye to the mouth and on the forehead. The mane is small and chestnut-coloured; the ringed horns are thin and straight. They are found on both sexes and typically measure . Comparably, the gemsbok has an entirely black tail, a black patch at the base of the tail, and more black on the legs (including a patch on the hindlegs) and lower flanks. The smaller Arabian oryx is overall whiter with largely dark legs. ==Behaviour==

East African oryx live in semidesert and steppes, where they eat grasses, leaves, fruit and buds. During periods of dehydration, they limit water losses by allowing their body temperatures to increase (so as to avoid perspiration). They gather in herds of five to 40 animals, often with females moving at the front and a large male guarding from the rear. Some older males are solitary. Radio tracking studies show the solitary males are often accompanied for brief periods by breeding-condition females, so it is probable they are executing a strategy to maximise their chances of reproduction. ==Gallery==

File:Beisa, Tsawo-Wes, Kenia.jpg|Fringe-eared oryx (O. b. callotis) File:Flickr - Rainbirder - Beisa Oryx (Oryx beisa).jpg|Common beisa oryx (O. b. beisa) File:The book of antelopes (1894) Oryx beisa.png|Illustration File:Přímorožec beisa zoo praha 1.jpg|In captivity ==References==