Details
Boselaphus tragocamelus
A large antelope of the Indian subcontinent. Adult males are bluish gray, females are tawny, and the species uses grassland, farms, and open woodland.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Nilgai favor dry grassland, scrub, open woodland, and agricultural edges. They generally avoid dense forest and prefer areas with visibility.
Males are blue-gray with short horns; females and young are tawny. The body is high-shouldered with a throat tuft.
They feed by day. Females and young form small groups, while males may be solitary or in bachelor groups and compete during breeding periods.
They eat grasses, leaves, shoots, fruits, and crops. Broad diet tolerance allows them to persist in dry and human-modified landscapes.
Females may give birth to one calf or twins. Young remain near the mother and later join group movements.
In parts of India, cultural associations with cattle complicate management, especially where crop damage and protection concerns overlap.
