The Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) is the common name given to the largest and most well known of the 3 species of Oryx. Due to their horns being so lethal, Gemsbok have also been called the ‘Sabre Antelope’. Its name is actually derived from the German word for a male chamois, although they are not related. They are distributed around deserts, scrublands and brushlands in South Western Africa. Find out more!

Gemsboks are desert dwelling animals that prefer deserts, scrubland and brushland. Southern gemsbok tend to inhabit open, arid areas, such as the Kalahari duneland and bush savanna while northern gemsbok inhabit open grasslands.

Gemsboks are herbivores and grazers and consume mainly tough dry grasses, supplemented with foliage. Gemsboks are dry-region roughage eaters, with a great capacity to digest fibre.

Desert dwelling gemsbok do not rely on water to satisfy their thirst, instead they obtain moisture from tsama melons and by digging up tubers, roots and eating plant bulbs. Grassland gemsbok have plentiful water in their habitat that is readily available.

Gemsboks are gregarious and sociable animals, spending time on open plains. Gemsboks can be seen in herds of 10 or more individuals, however, when food is scarce, usually during the dry season, they break up into smaller groups.