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The animal on the cover of Laravel: Up and Running is a gemsbok (oryx gazella). This large antelope is native to the deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, where it is featured on the country’s coat of arms.

Gemsbok measure about 5 feet 7 inches tall at the shoulder and can weigh from 250 to 390 pounds. They are typically pale gray or brown, with black and white facial markings and long black tails. A black stripe extends from the chin to the lower edge of the neck. The gemsbok’s impressive straight horns, used in defensive maneuvers, average 33 inches in length and are regarded as charms in many cultures. In medieval England, they were often marketed as unicorn horns.

Although these horns make the gemsbok a highly-sought trophy animal, the population remains stable throughout Southern Africa. In 1969, gemsbok were introduced to southern New Mexico, where their current population is around 3,000.

Gemsbok are well-suited to such desert environments, with the ability to survive without drinking water for most of the year. To achieve this, they do not pant or sweat, allowing their body temperature to rise several degrees above normal on hot days. Their lifespan is approximately 18 years in the wild.

Many of the animals on O’Reilly covers are endangered; all of them are important to the world. To learn more about how you can help, go to animals.oreilly.com.

The cover image is from Riverside Natural History. The cover fonts are URW Typewriter and Guardian Sans. The text font is Adobe Minion Pro; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is Dalton Maag’s Ubuntu Mono.