Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight and annulated.

[4] The term "oryx" comes from the Greek word ὄρυξ óryx meaning "pickaxe", because its long and pointed horns look similar to the tool's end.

Herodotus mentions a type of gazelle in Libya called ὄρυς, orus, probably related to the verb ὀρύσσω, orussō, or ὀρύττω, oruttō,[6] meaning "to dig".

One of the largest populations of Arabian oryxes exists on Sir Bani Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates.

In 2011, the IUCN downgraded its threat category from extinct in the wild to vulnerable, the first species to have changed back in this way.

However, the animals proved to be extremely opportunistic, and quickly spread into the San Andres Mountains to the north and west of Tularosa Basin.

In New Mexico, predators like coyotes and mountain lions are not effective at controlling numbers, allowing the oryx to reproduce without restriction.

The horns also make the animals a prized game trophy, which has led to the near-extinction of the two northern species.

Between 1969 and 1977, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish in the US intentionally released 95 gemsbok into its state's White Sands Missile Range[16] and that population is now estimated between 3,000 and 6,000 animals.

In the video game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, a playable defending operator nicknamed Oryx was introduced in Year 5 Season 1.

Oryx is also the main antagonist’s name in the video game Destiny: The Taken King, a god who seeks vengeance on the player, known as a Guardian, after they killed his son Crota.