East African oryx

[ eest af-ri-kuhn awr-iks ]

noun

, plural East Af·ri·can o·ryx·es, (especially collectively) East Af·ri·can o·ryx.

1. a large antelope, Oryx beisa, with distinctive black striping on its neck and face, a conspicuous black stripe separating its gray coat from its white underside, and thin, nearly straight, ringed horns that reach a length of about 31 inches (79 centimeters) on both the males and females: it has two subspecies, one found throughout the Horn of Africa, and the other found in southern Kenya and northeastern Tanzania, both of which were once thought to be subspecies of the gemsbok and which are now classified as near threatened.

Word History and Origins

Origin of East African oryx¹

First recorded in 1980–85; the species was identified and named Oryx beisa in 1835