Animals with straight horns have unique and varied traits that serve practical and symbolic uses. These horns, which stick straight out from the head, are important as they use them to show dominance and attract mates during mating season.
Additionally, the straight shape lets these creatures move quickly and effectively when stabbing, which scares off potential threats. Some species have sexual dimorphism, meaning that both males and females have these horns, while others reserve this striking feature solely for males.
This article aims to provide you with a list of some of the animals that have straight horns, along with some interesting details about these creatures.
11 Animals with straight and mostly straight horns
1. Arabian Oryx
Scientific Name: Oryx leucoryx
One of the creatures you might notice for having a horn that’s straight is the Arabian oryx. The medium-sized antelope has a white coat, combined with brown undersides, and is accented with black patterns on its face. It has long, straight horns that can reach lengths of up to 4.9 feet in length. These horns serve as defense tools, helping protect resources and establish dominance within herds.
2. Saiga
Scientific Name: Saiga tatarica
You may notice the saiga antelope for its large, mobile nose, which gives it a unique appearance. Saigas live in small parts of Russia and Kazakhstan, and their coats change color depending on the season. Their color ranges from yellow to red in the summer, but in the winter, it becomes grayish-brown. Only male saigas develop thick, translucent, and ringed horns measuring a length of 11 to 15 inches.
3. Gazelle
Scientific Name: Gazella gazella
The mountain gazelle possesses a slender build, long legs, and horns that are present in both males and females. However, males have larger horns with prominent rings, whereas females have shorter ones without rings.
These gazelles also have dark brown coats, white underparts, a marked face stripe, and a dark flank band. Their thick horns, combined with their ability to reach speeds of up to 50 mph, play a crucial role in their defense, particularly when it comes to warding off small predators.
4. Gemsbok
Scientific Name: Oryx gazella
The gemsbok, a large antelope that dwells in the desert, is known for its muscular build and striking appearance. As the largest of the oryx species, they weigh between 400 and 530 lbs for males, while females can reach weights of up to 500 lbs.
You can identify them by observing their distinct black face stripe extending from the base of their horns and the striking black bands encircling their elegant legs. Both males and females have straight, ringed horns that span a range of 25 to 60 inches, and these horns serve the purpose of engaging in aggressive displays and asserting dominance through various rituals.
5. Blackbuck
Scientific Name: Antilope cervicapra
Native to India and Nepal, the blackbuck, also known as the Indian antelope, is a species with a straight but slightly corkscrewed horn. Although their horns are in straight position, they’re corkscrew-like, ringed, and can grow to be up to 30 inches long.
During mating season, these animals protect their territory from other males through throat grunting and horn fights. Since horns play a role in dominance rituals, they’re typically found only in males.
6. Rocky Mountain Goat
Scientific Name: Oreamnos americanus
The Rocky Mountain goat, a strong mammal, inhabits western North America’s remote and rugged mountains. This skilled climber frequently inhabits sheer rock faces and cliffs, and despite its name, it’s not directly related to wild goats; rather, it shares a closer kinship with other bovids referred to as “goat-antelopes.” Both sexes possess black horns with rings that serve as age indicators. Additionally, one may observe that males’ horns are curvier than females’.
7. Springbok
Scientific Name: Antidorcas marsupialis
The springbok, which is native to south and southwest Africa, is a medium-sized antelope with a slender build and long legs. It measures between 28 to 34 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 60 to 93 pounds, with both males and females having a pair of black horns positioned straight but also curved backward. Males use their horns to establish territories and engage in horn-based combat in order to gain access to females.
8. Rhinoceros
Scientific Name: Ceratotherium simum
You’ll see the rhinoceros, a large and strong herbivore, proudly displaying its large, straight horns. These animals can reach a weight of 7900 lbs, and they possess two powerful horns that serve a dual purpose: defending against predators and taking part in fights over territory with other rhinos. The front horn is typically the largest of the two, with some females attaining lengths of up to 59 inches.
9. Blesbok
Scientific Name: Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi
The blesbok, a species of antelope, possesses a set of horns, measuring 15 inches in length, and are curved with distinct rings. What makes these horns even more intriguing is how they’re held, as they maintain a somewhat straight position.
One can easily spot these creatures by observing their brown body and white faces, decorated with a horizontal brown stripe. To differentiate between the male and female, the female’s horns appear more slender.
10. Addax
Scientific Name: Addax nasomaculatus
The addax, which is also commonly referred to as the white antelope or screw-horn antelope, is a species that thrives in the harsh and arid conditions of the Sahara Desert. This creature is well-adapted to its desert habitat and has evolved unique features to survive in such an extreme environment.
The coat color of these animals is sandy to almost white, and they possess white markings on their face, ears, bellies, hips, and legs. The horns of both males and females do have a naturally wavy shape, but they point in a fairly straight direction. The horns can reach a maximum length of 42 inches, spiraling with 2 to 3 twists.
11. Racka
Scientific Name: Ovis aries
The Racka sheep stands out as a unique breed for its unusual feature of having spiral-shaped horns. These horns are easily identifiable because they grow to a length of up to 2 feet and are positioned straight up, setting them apart from the horns of other domestic sheep. They originate from Hungary, and due to their hardiness and versatility, they’re highly suitable for producing milk, wool, and meat.
Louise writes about a wide variety of topics including wildlife, animals, and nature. She’s developed a growing interest in animal biology and categorization due to her fascination with how they interact with one another and with their surroundings.