Both male and female oryx have horns. They spend most of their time looking for food. At the hottest times of day, they ruminate in the shade.
 
Scimitar-horned Oryx used to be very common across the Sahara, with a population of almost 1 million. Over time, excessive hunting, climate changes leading to the expansion of the Sahara and competition with livestock decimated the species, which is now extinct in the wild. 
 
Several zoo breeding programs have resulted in the reintroduction of Scimitar-horned Oryx into secure reserves in Tunisia, Morocco and Senegal. Two males born at La Palmyre Zoo were reintroduced to Tunisia in 1999.