Arabitar

The Arabitar is a cross, and it looks like one in the best way. It carries the build of the scimitar oryx it shares a parent with, but the coat is nearly pure white, set off by dark markings on the face and dark lower legs, and the horns run long and close to straight rather than sweeping back in the scimitar's curve. Seen side on, the two horns can line up into one, which is how the unicorn story is supposed to have started. There is one name for it on this ranch, and it is this one.

Like every oryx it is a desert animal at heart. It is built to go without water for long stretches, to stand in the heat of the day when other animals have bedded, and to cover open ground at a trot that does not look fast until you try to close the distance. That makes it an animal you see from a long way off and reach slowly.

Both sexes carry horns, and bulls tend to carry the heavier bases while cows often grow them longer and thinner, so length alone will not tell you what you are looking at. Your guide will judge the animal before the shot. Oryx are tough, and a well-placed shot matters more here than on most of the plains game on the property.