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do their horns grow back? a quick google search could not really answer my question...

thanks



KTP 04/07

The quick answer is no, they do not grow back.

These are horns, not antlers. Horns are bone, covered in the same stuff your nails are made of. Like your arm wont grow back, horns do not grow back.

as I hinted before, when I did a quick google search at least one article claimed that they would grow back...and I did not feel to be in the position to evaluate these different statements

thanks for the info!

Hi,

Can anyone help me with some reasons why there are no Gemsbok in KNP? I have heard that it is not as dry and dessert like as the animals needed?

Is the Roan family, becuase the looks is nearly the same(colourwise)

Hi pieter22
If I'm not mistaken it is because it is not the natural habitat of the Gemsbok. You will also not find any springbuck in KNP. I'm no expert but I believe that that could be the reason.

Correct Pikkie, it all has to do with habitat and food availability.

The Oryx (gemsbok) has developed a blood cooling system in its snout, to help dissipate the heat, and it feeds on tsama melons, not found in Kruger.

If Im not mistaken, only animals that 'originally' occured in the nowadays KNP area will qualify to be in the KNP (almost like a passport )

It is not SANPARKS policy to populate parks with animals not originally found in the area.

BB, thats what I wanted to say said... you've just said it in some proper english

what do you guys make out of this? a birth defect? because the horn did not appear to be broken...

Correct. Every now and then you see an oryx that has been given a defective horn by Mother Nature.

Species like Springbok and Gemsbok are not immune against hartwater (disease) which occur in the Kruger area. Springbok could be successfully inoculated against it thou, not sure about Gemsbok. This could also explain together with the suitable habitat why Springbok and Gemsbok were not to be found in the Kruger since the beginning.

(the german edition of) wikipedia tells me that a gemsbok is able to live with a body temperature of 46,5 °C for extended periods of time - now my frriend tells me that usually body proteins are destroyed above a temperature of ca. 42°C...does that mean gemsboks have "specialised" proteins...or is either information wrong?

thanks

Great question

Wish I knew the answer...

The gemsbok have a special adaptation to high temperatures called the rete mirabile (cooling net). It basically tricks the brain into thinking the blood is cooler. The pulmonary artery divides into a network of many fine capillaries (net) at the base of the brain. These capillaries are interwoven with the capillaries of the carotid artery, carrying cool deoxgenated blood , which has been cooled as it passed close to the nasal cavity . As the blood capillaries of the carotid pass over plates in the nasal cavity evaporation of moisture takes place cooling the blood. Where the capillaries of the carotid and pulmonary artery intertwine, the cool blood in the carotid capillaries cools the blood in the pulmonary capillaries, reducing the temperature of the blood and making it safe to be transported to the brain. The brain therefore is tricked and will not destroy body proteins as there is no indication that the temperature is too high So I dont think that a gemsbok has specialised proteins, just a matter of specialised adaptations to live in arid conditions.