The scientific name for the Arabian oryx, Oryx leucoryx, means ‘white oryx’. Description. The Arabian oryx is one of the best desert-adapted large mammals, capable of living in a waterless, hot, high-wind habitat where few other species can survive. The confusion between the scimitar-horned oryx and the Arabian oryx is reinforced by the fact that they both carried the name "white oryx". The scientific name is Phoenicopterus ruber. It is white in colour, with dark chocolate or black patches on the nose and cheeks. A year later, the name Oryx leucoryx came into use, but as this was a synonym of the Arabian oryx (then called Oryx beatrix), it was abandoned, and Oryx algazel was accepted once more. Their white color reflects the desert heat and sunlight. The last wild Arabian Oryx was shot in 1972. Once assumed extinct, they are now thriving in the deserts of middle east. The name beatrix persisted for many years, but it is also known as asiatica, latipes, pallasii. Calotropis was formerly placed in the family Asclepiadaceae (the milkweed family), which is now considered a subfamily of the Apocynaceae (Stevens, 2012).The Apocynaceae is a large family of plants including 415 genera and about 4555 species distributed largely throughout the tropics but also in warm temperate climates. Arabian oryx live in a variety of desert habitats including stony plains, wadis, and sand dunes. The gemsbok, gemsbuck or South African oryx (Oryx gazella) is a large antelope in the genus Oryx.It is native to the arid regions of Southern Africa, such as the Kalahari Desert.Some authorities formerly included the East African oryx as a subspecies.. Ian Charleson Hedge is a Scottish botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.Ian Hedge made important contributions to the flora of Iran and the flora of Iraq and is a recognised authority on the flora of south-west Asia. They will drink water when they … The scientific name is Equus Caballus. Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature Top of page. species Oryx leucoryx (Pallas, 1777) - Arabian Oryx. Arabian Oryx is a unique adaptable animal. Their white color reflects the desert heat and sunlight. Explanations † synonymized name based on fossil type material Kenya's Tana River divides the range of East Africa's two types of oryx: the beisa oryx (Oryx gazella beisa) and the fringe-eared oryx (Oryx g. callotis). The confusion between the scimitar-horned oryx and the Arabian oryx is reinforced by the fact that they both carried the name "white oryx". Scientific Name Oryx leucoryx Arabic Name Al maha, al baqr, al barra Tagged As Mammal, Antelope Endangered Status . The scientific name is in reference to the mythical creature the tragelaph, a Chimera with the body of a stag and the head of a goat. In 1986, the Arabian Oryx is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, and in 2011, it was the first animal to revert to vulnerable status after previously being listed as extinct in the wild. The Arabian oryx is able to smell rain in the distance. In Arabic Oryx leucoryx is called Maha, Wudhaihi, Baqar al Wash or Boosolah. This species is the most well adapted of the oryx for life in desert extremes.