African oryx may spread through much of Southwest

African antelopes introduced to New Mexico in the 1960s and 1970s as a game species will likely spread through much of the U.S. Southwest by the end of the century.

Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) are originally native to southern Africa. Accustomed to arid conditions in their home continent, the antelopes quickly adapted to their new home in the U.S. Southwest.

Now a new study published in the Journal of Mammalogy has revealed that by 2100, the species may spread from New Mexico into Texas, Arizona, Utah, California and possibly even southern Washington and Montana due to climate change.

Researchers are concerned that gemsbok could outcompete cattle and native wildlife for food. They could also transmit disease.

“Gemsbok are famous for being really well adapted to heat and drought,” said study co-author Bob Schooley, professor at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, in a press release. “They’re the poster species for dealing with the kind of changes we’re going to see in the southwest.”

Read more at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign’s ACES News.