# Gemsbok (*Oryx gazella*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/gemsbok  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The gemsbok (Oryx gazella) is a large mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Antilopinae and tribe Hippotragini, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a terrestrial herbivore with a cathemeral activity pattern, and adults have a representative body mass of 169 kg. Its lifespan is given as 20.75 years, with values up to 23.9 years, and the IUCN Red List classes it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 37.5 kg – 169 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 20.8 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 23.9 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | desert |
| Gestation | 168 days – 304 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 18.1 months – 20.1 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.89 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Oryx
- species: *Oryx gazella* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Capra gazella*, *Oryx gazella gazella*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a gemsbok?

Adult gemsbok have a representative body mass of 169 kg, which places them in the large size class (25 to 250 kg).

### What does a gemsbok eat?

The gemsbok is a herbivore.

### Is the gemsbok endangered?

No. The gemsbok is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a gemsbok live?

Its lifespan is given as 20.75 years, with values up to 23.9 years reported by our sources.

### How many young does a gemsbok have?

A gemsbok has 1 young per litter, with 1.89 litters per year and a gestation period of 168 days.

### When does a gemsbok reach sexual maturity?

A gemsbok reaches sexual maturity at 1.6 years, with reported values from 1.5 to 1.7 years.

### What kind of animal is a gemsbok?

The gemsbok is a mammal in the family Bovidae and the order Artiodactyla.

### Who named the gemsbok?

The scientific name Oryx gazella is credited to (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Gemsbok (Oryx gazella). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/gemsbok