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ADDAX, genus of desert antelope with only one species, Addax nasomaculatus, of the family Bovidae in the order Artiodactyla. The addax inhabits the southwestern part of the Sahara in North Africa and is found in lesser numbers across the Red Sea into the Near East. A strictly herbivorous, cud-chewing mammal, it grazes in herds numbering up to 300. The addax is usually a little more than 91.4 cm (36 in) high at the shoulder and is yellowish white in color, with a brown mane and a black patch at the forehead. Both sexes have graceful, ringed horns, wound in an open spiral as long as 109 cm (43 in). Well adapted to the desert, the addax has large hooves for running over sand. By eating succulent leaves and wild watermelons it can survive without water for many days. The addax seeks shelter from the midday sun, sometimes in caves. |