? Nilgai Conservation status: Least concern
Nilgai male showing bluish tinge
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Bovinae Genus: Boselaphus Species: B. tragocamelus
Binomial name
Boselaphus tragocamelus Pall., 1766
Distribution map from www.ultimateungulate.com

Blue bull redirects here. For the South African rugby union team, see Blue Bulls.

The Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) is an antelope which is one of the most commonly seen wild animals of northern India. It appears ox-like and is also called as the Blue bull. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (727x638, 80 KB) Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Families Suidae Hippopotamidae Tayassuidae Camelidae Tragulidae Moschidae Cervidae Giraffidae Antilocapridae Bovidae The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla. ... Subfamilies Bovinae Cephalophinae Hippotraginae Antilopinae Caprinae A bovid is any of almost 140 species of cloven-hoofed mammals belonging to the family Bovidae. ... Tribes Bovini Boselaphini Strepsicerotini The biological subfamily Bovinae includes a diverse group of about 24 species of medium-sized to large ungulates, including domestic cattle, Bison, the Water Buffalo, the Yak, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Peter Simon Pallas (September 22, 1741 - September 8, 1811) was a German-born Russian zoologist. ... 1766 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File links Nilgai_distribution_map. ... General phase play in rugby union. ... Blue Bulls logo The Vodacom Blue Bulls is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ...

Description

Nilgai stand 1.2-1.5 meters (4-5 feet) at the shoulder and are 1.8-2 meters (6-6.6 feet) long. Their tails are 40-45 centimeters. Mature nilgai typically weigh 120-240 kilograms. The largest males in Texas can weigh over 272 kilograms (600 pounds).

Babies usually weigh 13.6-15.9 kilograms (30-35 pounds) at birth after an 8 month gestation period. Over over 60% of births result in twins, though births of 1 or 3 do occur. They reach sexual maturity at around 18 months and can live as long as 21 years.

Nilgai have thin legs and a robust body, which slopes down from the shoulder. Their long, narrow heads are topped by two small conical horns which are straight and tilted slightly forward.. Horns on trophy males are normally 21.6-25.4 centimeters (8.5-10 inches). They have an erectile mane on the back of the neck and a tubular shaped "hair pennant" on the midsection of the throat.

Female nilgai have a short yellow-brown coat. Males' coats gradually darken to a grey-blue as they reach maturity. They have white spots on the cheeks and white coloring on the edges of the lips. They also have a white throat bib and a narrow white stripe along the underside of the body that widens at the rear.

Nilgai can be found in single sex or mixed sex herds of 4-20, though old bulls are sometimes solitary.

Distribution

They are found in the north Indian plains from the base of the Himalayas in the north, down to the state of Karnataka in the South, and from the Gir forest and Rajasthan in the West to the states of Assam and West Bengal in the East. The population density in central India is 0.07 animals per square kilometer. Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... Karnātakā (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ, Hindi: कर्नाटक) (IPA: //) is one of the four southern states of India. ... The Gir National Forest is located near the southernmost point of the peninsula The Gir Forest National Park is best known as being the sole home of the Asiatic Lion. ... Rajasthan (Hindi: राजस्थान) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... Assam (Assamese: অসম, Hindi: असम; Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur. ... West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Hindi: पश्चिम बंगाल, Poshchim Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ...

The Nilgai was introduced in Texas in the 1920's as a zoo animal and is now found free ranging on some ranches there. Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 660 miles (1,065 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ...

Habitat

Nilgai are diurnal and live in grasslands and woodlands where they eat grasses, leaves, buds, and fruit. A diurnal animal is an animal that sleeps during the night and is active during the day. ... Genera See: List of Poaceae genera The true grasses are monocot (class Liliopsida) plants of the family Poaceae (formerly Graminae). ... Leaves are an Icelandic five-piece alternative rock band who came to prominence in 2002 with their debut album, Breathe, drawing comparisons to groups such as Coldplay and Doves. ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Catalonia. ...

In the wild, females and young males gather in herds of about fifteen individuals while older males are often solitary. Individual male or female nilgais may be encountered in cultivated or semi-urban areas.

Nilgai in India

A blue bull is called as Nil gai or Nilgai in India, literally from nil meaning blue and gai meaning a bovine animal (contrary to popular belief, a female bovine such as a cow is called gabhih in formal sanskrit). This local belief, that the Nilgai is a cow and hence sacred, has protected it against hunting.

However, the Nilgai is a crop menace and has been declared as vermin in northern India and they may be legally hunted after obtaining a permit. The bane of Australian farmers - the wild rabbit Mouse Vermin is a pejorative word given to animals which are considered by users of the word to be pests or nuisances, most associated with the carrying of disease. ...

Habits

Blue bulls mostly live in herds and in winter, male blue bulls form herds of 30 to 100 animals in northern India. They avoid dense forest and prefer the plains and low hills with shrubs. Blue bulls are usually found in their favoured areas of scrub jungle (acacia forests) grazing upon succulent kader grass. They are not averse to crossing marshlands. A herd of Wildebeest A gaggle of Canada geese For other uses, see Herd (disambiguation). ... A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded function as carbon dioxide sinks, animal habitats, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earths biosphere. ... A hill in Hungary with a hillside vintage garden For the landform that extends less than 600 metres above the surrounding terrain and that is smaller than a mountain, see the mountain article. ... A broom shrub in flower A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ...

Portait of a female Nilgai

Nilgai can be seen with black bucks (Antilope cervicapra) in the open plains, and in the lower Terai regions they may be seen together with Chital (Axis axis) and 'para' or Hog deer (Axis porcinus). The Chital and Hog Deer, being comparatively smaller in size, usually keep a respectful distance from the much larger Nilgai. Sambar (Cervus unicolor) frequent hills and dense forests and are rarely found in the same habitat as Nilgai. Image File history File links AB008_Boselaphus_tragocamelus. ... Image File history File links AB008_Boselaphus_tragocamelus. ... Binomial name Antilope cervicapra (Linnaeus, 1758) For the bombing raids during the Falklands War, see Operation Black Buck The Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), also called Indian Blackbuck antelope or Sasin, is a small antelope native to Northern India, Pakistan and Nepal. ... The Terai, or Tarai (i. ... Binomial name Axis axis (Erxleben, 1777) The chital (also spelled cheetal) or spotted deer is a large spotted deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of Sri Lanka and most of India. ... Binomial name Axis porcinus Zimmermann, 1780 The Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) is small deer whose habitat ranges from Pakistan, through northern India, to Myanmar, with a secondary range in southeast Asia. ... Binomial name Cervus unicolor (Kerr, 1792) The sambar is a deer and a member of the family Cervidae. ...

The main predators of the blue bulls are tigers (Panthera tigris) and lions (Panthera leo). Leopards are not capable of killing a full grown Nilgai but can take females and calves. Binomial name Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family, one of four big cats that belong to the Panthera genus. ... Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ...

A blue bull can survive for days without water, but they live close to waterholes. The deserts earlier limited their range, but the extension of irrigation canals and proliferation of tube-wells in the Thar desert have helped them colonise the desert districts of Jodhpur, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Ganganagar. A NASA satellite image of the Thar Desert, with the India-Pakistan border superimposed. ... Jodhpur (जोधपुर), the second largest city in Rajasthan, India, was founded in 1459 by King Rao Jodha. ... Barmer is a city and district in western Rajasthan in India. ... Jaisalmer (The Golden City) is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. ... Bikaner is a city in north-western Rajasthan state in western India. ... Ganganagar, also called Sri Ganganagar, is a city in Rajasthan state of western India. ...

Blue bulls generally come to the same place to deposit their droppings.

Nilgai female and baby

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (900x571, 108 KB)Nilgai Antelope female and baby closeup by Lisa Purcell Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (900x571, 108 KB)Nilgai Antelope female and baby closeup by Lisa Purcell Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...

Status

The estimated population of Nilgai in India is approximately 100,000. The Texas population is estimated to be around 15,000 individuals.

Like many Indian animals, Nilgai are often victim to vehicular accidents and nilgai carcasses are often seen on major highways in northern India. The main threat to this species is the loss of habitat due to human population growth.

The species is declared by the IUCN as being at low risk of extinction. The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

Wild populations also exist in Alabama and Texas where they have escaped from private exotic ranches.

References

• Mallon (2003). Boselaphus tragocamelus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern

Distinctive white marks are clearly seen on the feet of this male Nilgai

• Menon, Vivek. A Field Guide to Indian Mammals. Dorling Kindersley, Delhi, 2003.
• Sheffield, William J., et al. The Nilgai Antelope in Texas (College Station: Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University System, 1983).

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (750x653, 98 KB)Nilgai Antelope male closeup by Lisa Purcell Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (750x653, 98 KB)Nilgai Antelope male closeup by Lisa Purcell Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Boselaphus tragocamelus

• The Mammals of Texas - Online Edition
• Ultimate Ungulates Page
• Pictures of Nilgai
• Nilgai in Haryana