The nilgai antelope was first described by Pallas in 1766. Nilgai is from the Hindi word nilgaw which means "blue bull" referring to the color of the adult male. The species name, Boselaphus tragocamelus is derived from 'bos', Latin for ox, 'elaphos', Greek for deer, 'tragos', Greek for a male goat, and 'kamelos', Greek for camel.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Hunting by humans threatens nilgai antelopes.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Nilgai antelope may damage human food crops in the areas in which they are found.
The nilgai antelope is hunted for its meat. Overhunting may negatively impact populations of nilgai antelope.
Positive Impacts: food
Nilgai antelopes graze and browse, with grass as the main source of their diet. In Asia, they eat mainly woody plants. In Texas, they eat mesquite, oak, partridge peas, croton, nightshade, and a variety of grasses. Sometime they upgrade their diet by eating plant parts, such as flowers, seeds, fruits, leaves, and stem tops.
Boselaphus tragocamelus, also called the nilgai antelope, evolved in penninsular India during the Tertiary geological period, where they are also currently found. They were imported to the United States as zoo animals before the mid-1920s and released into Texas about 1930. Today they are found on large ranches in Kenedy and Willacy counties of Texas.
Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native )
Nilgai antelopes live in dry areas with a variety of land types. They range from grassy, steppe woodlands, to hillsides. In India, they occur in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains southward to Mysore. The brush country of South Texas is well suited to their natural preferences.
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; mountains
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 21.0 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 21.7 years.
Nilgai antelope are among the largest of the asian antelopes. They stand about 120-150cm at the shoulder and have a body length of 180-200cm. They have a short coat which is yellow-brown in females and turns blue-grey in adult males. Calves are pale brown. The hair of the adult nilgai antelope is thin and oily, but the skin is thick on the chest and neck of the males. There are patches of white on the face and below the chin. This extends into a broad, white "bib" on the throat. In males below the "bib" hangs a tuft of hair, or "beard" that can be as long as 13cm.
A white band along the brisket area goes over the abdomen and spreads between the hind legs, which forms a narrow rump patch that is outlined with darker hair. They have slender legs which support their stocky bodies. The head is long and slender and males have horns about 20-25cm, which are black in color, sharp, and curved.
Range mass: 120 to 240 kg.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Females and males remain segregated for most of the year, except for when the bulls join the cows for breeding. Breeding groups consist of one dominant bull and one to many cows. Mating usually occurs from December to March, but breeding can occur through the year. The gestation period is 240-258 days and it is common for nilgai antelopes to bear twins. Females can conceive at 18 months of age, but very few mate before 3 years of age. Males are sexually mature by 2 1/2 years of age, but cannot compete very well with other males until 4 years of age.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.
Average number of offspring: 1.3.
Range gestation period: 8.27 to 8.6 months.
Average gestation period: 8.435 months.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual
Average birth mass: 5875 g.
Average number of offspring: 1.5.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
Sex: female: 815 days.
Parental Investment: altricial ; post-independence association with parents
