The Gemsbok or Oryx is an antelope that has adapted well to arid desert conditions where food is dispersed, the heat is intense and little or no water is found.

 Like other animals found in desert regions the Gemsbok is efficient at preventing water loss from their bodies. They do not need surface water for survival, as they obtain enough moisture through the vegetation they eat. Gemsbok urine is very concentrated and faecal pellets very dry. They are able to increase their body temperature in order to delay evaporative cooling through perspiration. At night when the ambient temperature drops, the stored heat in their body escapes and their body temperature drops to a normal state.

Gemsbok have an intricate network of blood vessels, situated in the nose which cool down the blood supplied to the brain, thus protecting the gemsbok from deadly temperatures. They also reduce heat absorption by keeping their cylindrical bodies angled away from the sun.

See these amazing animals in Namibia.