The Gemsbok (Oryx gazella formerly Oryx gazella gazella) is a mid-sized African ungulate. It is an adoptable animal in all three mainline Zoo Tycoon games, as well as Zoo Tycoon DS.
Description[]
The Gemsbok, or South African Oryx, is the largest of the four species of Oryx antelope, standing 1.2m (3.9ft) at the shoulder. It is native to arid regions of Southern Africa such as the Kalahari Desert, although it has also been introduced to New Mexico, USA. Both males and females have long horns, which they will use to defend themselves from predators and deter rivals. Unusually for antelope, female Gemsbok have longer horns than the males, although they are comparatively thinner.
Gemsbok live in herds that can number forty individuals, lead by a dominant male. Although it largely eats grass, it will browse when grass is not available and will also eat fruit to satisfy its water intake. When threatened, a gemsbok can run at speeds of 60 km/h (37mph).
Zoo Tycoon[]
The Gemsbok is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon and is available in the base game. In Freeform mode, it is not adoptable until June 1st.
The gemsbok is a desert animal and subsequently requires a lot of sand, as well as savannah grass and dirt to be satisfied. They like to live in herds and breed easily, so a large exhibit is required. It can be easily exhibited with the Dromedary Camel.
It is impossible to max out the gemsbok's habitat suitability due to improper coding. As such, the max suitability the gemsbok can have in a 10x10 enclosure is 92% without going over the foliage limit. If the player goes over the foliage limit by 6 they can reach 96%, provided the number of shelters is also maxed out.
Despite the Quiver Tree being the gemsbok's favourite foliage, the Palm Tree gives the gemsbok the most suitability. Small or Medium Rocks also boost the gemsbok's suitability as well as shelters, with the Large Stable giving the most suitability.
Zoo Tycoon 2[]
The Gemsbok is an adoptable animal in Zoo Tycoon 2 and is available in the base game. In Campaign and Challenge Mode, it is unlocked when a zoo reaches a fame of 1 star.
The gemsbok lives in the scrub biome and are also compatible with the savannah and desert biomes, as well as boreal forest, grassland, and temperate forest to a lesser extent. They cannot swim, and can drown in deep water.
The gemsbok is a herbivore that feeds on hay and grass. Their only enrichment item is the salt lick though they can benefit from the Tar Pit as well if exhibited in a non-scrub enclosure. The only shelters that the gemsbok can use are the shade structure and stables. They also exhibit the herding behavior if Endangered Species or African Adventure is installed. Males will also mate with more than one female.
Zoo Tycoon (Xbox)[]
The Gemsbok is adoptable in Zoo Tycoon (Xbox) and is available in the base game, although like all antelope, it is not available in the Xbox 360 version. It is available at the start of the game and as such is the first antelope available for adoption, although it must be researched in order to adopt it.
The Gemsbok is a savannah animal, although it will also tolerate Grasslands exhibits. It is compatible with elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses and other antelope.
 zootycoon.com Description
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| The gemsbok is a large antelope with long, sharply pointed horns. When threatened, it lowers its horns parallel to the ground and lunges with great accuracy to fend off lions and other predators. Gemsbok are also swift runners that can outpace a horse or a pack of African hunting dogs. Gemsbok can survive dry seasons by eating melons and plant bulbs. |
Gallery[]
Zoo Tycoon[]
Zoo Tycoon 2[]
Zoo Tycoon (Xbox)[]
Trivia[]
- The Gemsbok is one of the few animals in the Zoo Tycoon series to be available in all three mainline games and have a different preferred biome in each game (Desert, Scrub and Savannah, respectively).
- At the time of Zoo Tycoon's release, the gemsbok was thought to be a subspecies of oryx, under the scientific name of Oryx gazella gazella. This was changed roughly around 2004 when the gemsbok was recognized as its own species. The scientific name "Oryx gazella" at the time was a synonym of the Scimitar Oryx (Oryx dammah).
- The gemsbok in Zoo Tycoon 2 also goes by the old subspecies scientific name.
| Zoo Tycoon DS animals | |
|---|---|
| Standard Animals | African Buffalo • African Elephant • African Lion • African Warthog • American Bighorn Sheep • American Bison • Arctic Wolf • Bengal Tiger • Black Bear • Black Leopard • Black Rhinoceros • California Sea Lion • Cheetah • Chimpanzee • Clouded Leopard • Common Wildebeest • Dromedary Camel • Emperor Penguin • Gemsbok • Giant Anteater • Giant Panda • Giraffe • Gray Wolf • Greater Flamingo • Grizzly Bear • Hippopotamus • Ibex • Jaguar • Leopard • Lowland Gorilla • Mandrill • Markhor • Moose • Okapi • Olive Baboon • Ostrich • Plains Zebra • Polar Bear • Red Kangaroo • Saltwater Crocodile • Siberian Tiger • Snow Leopard • Spotted Hyena • Thomson's Gazelle • White Bengal Tiger |
| Unlockable Content | Asian Elephant • Kouprey • Onager • Orangutan • Unicorn |