The X chromosome is the largest of the acrocentric chromosomes, and the Y chromosome is medium-sized. All chromosomes are acrocentric except for the first pair of autosomes, which are submetacentric. The other common names of addax are 'white antelope' and 'screwhorn antelope'. That name can be used to refer to other ungulates as well. Bedouins use another name for the addax, the Arabic bakr (or bagr) al wahsh, which literally means 'the cow of the wild'. The specific name nasomaculatus comes from the Latin words nasus (or the prefix naso-) meaning nose, and maculatus meaning spotted, referring to the spots and facial markings of the species.

It is also thought to have originated from a Latin word. The generic name Addax is thought to be obtained from an Arabic word meaning a wild animal with crooked horns. Finally, from a discussion in 1898, it became more probable that British hunters or collectors obtained the addax from the part of the Sahara in Tunisia. English naturalist Richard Lydekker stated their type locality to be probably Senegambia, though he did not have anything to support the claim. Henri Blainville observed syntypes in Bullock's Pantherion and the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons. It is placed in the monotypic genus Addax and the family Bovidae. This antelope was first described by French zoologist and anatomist Henri Blainville in 1816. The scientific name of the addax is Addax nasomaculatus. It is extirpated from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and Western Sahara, but has been reintroduced into Morocco and Tunisia. The addax was once abundant in North Africa however it is currently only native to Chad, Mauritania, and Niger. Although extremely rare in its native habitat due to unregulated hunting, it is quite common in captivity. The addax is a critically endangered species of antelope, as classified by the IUCN. The natural habitat of the addax are arid regions, semideserts and sandy and stony deserts. Breeding season is at its peak during winter and early spring. Due to its slow movements, the addax is an easy target for its predators: humans, lions, leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs. Addax form herds of five to 20 members, consisting of both males and females. They are well-adapted to exist in their desert habitat, as they can live without water for long periods of time.

The addax mainly eats grasses and leaves of any available shrubs, leguminous herbs and bushes. The colour of the coat depends on the season – in the winter, it is greyish-brown with white hindquarters and legs, and long, brown hair on the head, neck, and shoulders in the summer, the coat turns almost completely white or sandy blonde. They are sexually dimorphic, as the females are smaller than the males. Males stand from 105 to 115 cm (41 to 45 in) at the shoulder, with females at 95 to 110 cm (37 to 43 in). As suggested by its alternative name, the pale antelope has long, twisted horns – typically 55 to 80 cm (22 to 31 in) in females and 70 to 85 cm (28 to 33 in) in males. The only member of the genus Addax, it was first described scientifically by Henri de Blainville in 1816. The addax ( Addax nasomaculatus), also known as the white antelope and the screwhorn antelope, is an antelope native to the Sahara Desert. Antilope mytilopes Hamilton-Smith, 1827.Cerophorus nasomaculata Blainville, 1816.

Antelope with twisted horns