Meet Asia's Largest Antelope! 💚

When Blue Bull meets Blue Cow 😊

Curious facts about the Nilgai

Meet Asia’s Largest Antelope

#nilgai #intothewildwithrufus

I spotted this lovely Nilgai, Asia’s largest antelope, in Amrabad, Telengana. And yes, it’s rare to see the male of the nilgai - the blue bull in such an excited state, jumping all over the place. 

When we sniffed further around, we soon got the answer. His partner – the blue cow was quietly peering quite coyly from a distance! 😊

And for all ye Bovid enthusiasts, the book titled, Bovids of the World: Antelopes, Gazelles, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Relatives by Jose R Castello is a must-read of sorts for y’all.

Well, before that…! what, pray are bovids and cervids?

One of the main differences between Bovids (antelopes, cattle, sheep, goats) and Cervids (elk, moose, red deer, fallow deer, white-tailed deer) lies in the presence of horns versus antlers.

Bovids have horns that are permanent, non-deciduous structures, while cervids have antlers that are deciduous, meaning they are shed and regrown annually.

Coming back –

The nilgai is the largest Asian Antelope species native to India. It is often called the “blue bull”, because of their bluish-grey coat.

Unlike many other bovids, only male nilgai possess horns.

Moreover, although they are antelopes, the nilgai have a somewhat horse-like build.

Jose, in his exciting book titled, Bovids of the World, throws shining light on the nilgai.

Says he –

Nilgai: Large Bovid, equine in appearance. Short coat yellow brown in females, gradually turns blue gray in males as they mature.

Erectile mane on the nape and back and a hair pendant in the middle of the underside of the neck. Only males have short, black, sharp horns which are straight and tilted slightly forward.

OTHER NAMES: Blue Bull

Like the Blackbuck, there are currently more Nilgai living in a semi-wild state in Texas than in their native India.

Indian population could exceed 100,000. Locally common to abundant in agricultural areas in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. 

No figures are available for Nepal. Numbers are very low in Pakistan. About 37,000 feral Nilgai are established on Texas ranches.

Paul and James in their book titled, Wildlife Management and Conservation: Contemporary Principles and Practices, have a very interesting take on how the nilgai, a species of antelope native to India, was introduced into Texas, US.

Texas may have the most extensive free-ranging populations of exotic ungulates in the United States largely because of the long history of introductions.

Nilgai antelope are regarded as the first exotic species in Texas, introduced to south Texas during the 1920s to 1930s as a potential alternative livestock. Nilgai have expanded throughout the southern Gulf Coast of Texas and into Mexico,

they observe.