page_title: Gemsbok
section_title: Reproduction
hierarchical_section_title: Gemsbok / Ecology and biology / Reproduction
caption_attribution_description: A baby Gemsbok (Oryx gazella), roughly 4 hours old, with its mother. At the Buffalo Zoo.
context_page_description: The gemsbok, gemsbuck or South African oryx 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.
  The gemsbok is depicted on the coat of arms of Namibia, where the current population of the species is estimated at 373,000 individuals.
context_section_description: The gemsbok is polygynous, with one resident male mating with the receptive females in the herd. The male is known to secure exclusive mating access to the females by attempting to herd mixed or nursery herds onto his territory. The gemsbok has no specified breeding season, but the young in a given herd tend to be of a similar age due to reproductive synchrony between females. Pregnant females leave the herd before giving birth. The gestation period lasts 270 days and mothers give birth to 1-2 offspring. The calf remains hidden 6 weeks after birth, after which mother and calf rejoin the herd. The calf is weaned at 3.5 months, becomes independent at 4.5 month, and achieves sexual maturity at 1.5–2 years in both sexes.
caption: Mother and calf at the Buffalo Zoo
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