Nilgai : The Largest Asian Antelope

Nilgai ( Female)

Nilgai ( Male)

A pair of Nilgai in grassland

Nilgai running along grassland

Nilgai : The Largest Asian Antelope

The Nilgai (or the Blue bull) is the largest antelope found in Asian continent. It is also known as ‘White footed Antelope’ due to presence of white stripe around their knee.

Salient features of Nilgai:

· Although they are called ‘Nilgai’ – literally meaning blue cow, they do not have blue coloured body. Normally male nilgai has bluish-grey body and female has yellow -brown colour.

· They have a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short crest of hair on the neck and white facial spot.

· They are normally found in grassy plains, cultivation, short bushes and scattered trees etc.

· They run very fast in grassland. Sometime they descent in large numbers in fields and eat away crops, then they are declared as vermin.

· Its scientific name is ‘Boselaphus tragocamelus’ and belongs to ‘Bovidae’ family.