Antilope gazella, Forst. Descr. Anim. p. 380 (1844).
Antilope (Bubalis) oryx, Licht. Mag. nat. Freund, vi. p. 155 (1814).
Antilope pasan, Daudin, in Lacépède’s Buffon, xiv. p. 182 (1799).
Cemas pasan, Oken, Lehrb. Nat. iii. pt. 2, p. 741 (1816).
Cerophorus (Oryx) oryx, De Blainv. Bull. Soc. Philom. 1816, p. 75.
Oryx gazella, Gray, List Mamm. B. M. p. 156 (1843); id. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (1) xviii. p. 232 (1846); id. List Ost. B. M. p. 58 (1847); id. P. Z. S. 1850, p. 134; id. Knowsl. Men. p. 17 (1850); id. Cat. Ung. B. M. p. 105 (1852); Gerr. Cat. Bones Mamm. B. M. p. 240 (1862); Sclater, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 604; Gray, Cat. Rum. B. M. p. 35 (1872); id. Hand-l. Rum. B. M. p. 104 (1873); Drumm. Large Game S. Afr. p. 426 (1875); Selous, P. Z. S. 1881, p. 755; id. Hunter’s Wanderings in S. Afr. p. 212; Bocage, J. Sci. Lisboa, (2) v. p. 26 (1890) (Benguela); W. Sclater, Cat. Mamm. Calc. Mus. ii. p. 155 (1891); Flow. & Lyd. Mamm. p. 343 (1891); Ward, Horn Meas. (1) p. 143 (1892), (2) p. 184 (1896); Nicols & Egl. Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 49 (1892); Lyd. Horns and Hoofs, p. 246 (1893).
Oryx oryx, Jent. Cat. Ost. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, ix.) p. 135 (1887); id. Cat. Mamm. Leyd. Mus. (Mus. Pays-Bas, xi.) p. 166 (1892); Matsch. SB. nat. Freund. 1893, p. 102; Pousargues, Ann. Sci. Nat. (7) iv. p. 131 (1896).
Vernacular Names:—Gemsbok of the Dutch at the Cape; Gemsbuck of English; Kukama of Bechuanas and Makalakas; Ko of the Masuras (Selous). Uhlaza of Kaffirs (Drummond); Gallengue in Benguela (Bocage).
Height at withers about 48 inches. General colour of neck and body pale greyish tawny. Head with a black frontal patch at the base of the horns and a large patch of the same colour upon the nose, the two united by a narrow black line. Above the eye is a black stripe extending to the base of the horn, and below the eye a broad stripe passes downwards towards the corner of the mouth and, uniting with the nasal patch, spreads below on to the underside of the jaw; there is also a black stripe running from near the base of the ear along the line where the cheek passes into the neck and expanding on the lower part of the cheek fuses with the lower extremity of the ocular stripe, and contributes to the formation of the broad black area that occupies nearly the whole of the inter-ramal space. Muzzle, chin, and lips white. Ears with tip and the adjacent edges black. From the dark inter-ramal area to the chest extends a black stripe along the throat; the hairs of this region long, forming a mane, which at one spot near the middle of the throat is produced into a pointed crest or beard. Mane of nape blackish; a black line traceable along the back as far as the rump. Rump black or clouded with black above, the black extending on to the root of the tail, the tuft of which is entirely black. Along the sides of the body above the belly, which is white, extends a broad black stripe, continuous in front with the black area of the chest and passing behind on to the lower part of the thigh, where it expands into a broad black patch covering the outer side of the hind leg as far as the hock and spreading round the leg on its inner side. Hind legs below the hocks nearly white, except for a longitudinal black stripe on the front of the cannon-bone. Fore legs white below knee, with a black spot or stripe on the front of the cannon-bone; above the knee on the outer and inner side the leg is black almost up to the shoulder, but on the inner side it is sometimes white above, the white area extending for a short distance on to the front of the leg at its base.
Horns nearly straight, rarely attaining a length of about 47 inches, more commonly less than 40. A skull has the following dimensions:—Basal length 14·5 inches, eye to nose 10, greatest width 6·25.