Antelopes of India

The term "antelope" is zoologically somewhat imprecise. It refers to a variety of animals with similar characteristics but belonging to different families. True antilopes belong to the family Antilocervicapra The other antelopes belong to the family Bovidae, which also includes cattle, sheep, goats, and oxen. Of the Bovidae, there are about 50 kinds of animals considered antelopes, such as the gazelle, blue bull, chowsigha, chinkara, the impala, and the gnu. Most of these antelopes are native to Africa and India. Along with general similarities in appearance, all antelopes are browsing and grazing animal

In common parlance in India deer or "Hiran" brings in our imagination a beautiful and quick moving animal, and we don't usually differentiate between deers and antelopes, considering all such animal as deer or "Hiran".

The basic difference between deer and antelopes is in their horns. While deers shed their antlers every year and grow new ones, antelopes have permanent horns.

Four species of antelopes or Kurang are found in India

  1. Black Buck or Krishna Sar
  2. Chowsingha
  3. Blue Bull (Nil gai)
  4. Indian gazelle or Chinkara

Black Bucks

blackbuck

Black Buck or Krishna-Sar Biological Name: Antelope Cervicapra. Only representative of genus "Antelope" in India. Four sub-species in India are

Antelope cervicapra cervicapra
Antelope cervicapra rajputanae
Antelope cervicapra centralis
Antelope cervicapra rupicapra

Looks: Blackbuck (Antelope cervicapra) are antelope named for the black coat of the most dominant males. Nondominant males, the females and young are a light brown, dark brown in South India. All blackbucks have a white eye ring, belly and legs. Sizes and weights tend to be small, but with a wide range. Males standat around 29 inches, and weigh from 43 to 125 pounds. Females are around 27 inches tall with weights from 42 to 70 pounds. Males have cork screw type horn. Horns begin to develop in males in the second year and full numbers of spirals grows by 3rd year.Females donot have horns, in case one has it donot have the rings and spirals.

Habitat: It used to be available all over India except Northeast. Now it is seen in South India, Punjab, Rajsthan, Gujrat and central India. It does not live in dense forest but in open plains. It is fastest (long distance) animal on earth and even the famous cheetah could kill it in its first leap only. Open plains, which allows it to move fast is therefore needed to protect it from predators.

Habits: It lived in large herd of say 500 animals and so it was restricted to open plains. The Black buck is now rarely seen in herds of say 20. It runs at more than 40 km/h for kilometres. It has sharp eyesight.

Breeding: It breeds in all seasons but in Bhadon month i.e. in September/ October it turns jet black. It struts about with cork screw horns thrown back, tail bent back wards, eye glands everted and emits short staccato grunts. It approaches one of the aspirer of the favours from its harem. Usually one or two fawns are born at a time.

Bishnois (a community in Rajsthan, India) violently protect this specie and let us wish we have such community every where in the world. It is due to their efforts and beliefs that we have still so many of these endangered specie in the plains of Rajsthan even today.

 

 

Chosingha

 

Chosingha or four horned deer is the only four horned animal in the world. Biological name : Trecerous Quadicornis. Chowsigha is closely related to Nil Gai (Boselephus Tragocamelus)

Looks: Chowsingha is about 65 cm at its shoulder. It has four horns. Front pair of horns are smaller than rear pair. Young Chosighas are yellowish and on maturity it coat turns dull red brown. There is a dark stripe down the front of each leg. The antlers are not ringed and females donot have horns.

Habitat : It is found all over the peninsular India except the Malabar Coast - ofcourse in the wooded areas.

Habits: Chowsingha lives in undulating or hill country with tall grass for its shelter. It has a low whistling calls, which they repeat frequently. Unlike true antelopes, they don't gather in large herds.

Blue Bull or Nilgai

 

Blue Bull or Nil Gai : Biological name Boselephus Tragocamelus. This magnificent animal enjoys some amount of immunity from poaching due to suffix "Gai" meaning cow. In India cows are not killed due to religious beliefs.

Looks: Size about 130-150 cm at withers. It is a large ungainly animal with high withers and low rumps. The bull has a coarse iron grey coat. The cow is tawny and both sexes have dark manes. It has well developed sight and smell sense. It breeds in all seasons and has a gestation period of 8-9 months.

Habitat: The animal is found from base of Himayas down to the state of Karnataka except the Malabar coast, Assam and West Bengal. It avoids dense forests and lives on hills sparsely dotted with trees or plains covered with patches of shrubs and also raids cultivated land and it destroys more than it feeds on.

Habits: It feed on fruits and flower of "Ber" and flower of Mahua. It can do without water for days. On sensing danger like other antelopes it flees at high speed. Like many antelopes it come to same spot to deposit its droppings.

Indian Gazelle or Chinkara

Chinkara is the most graceful of Indian antelopes and deers. Bilogical name Gazella gazella benneti

Looks : It is about 26 inches at shoulders it weighs about 26 pounds and has a average 10-12 inch long horns. It has a dark stripe at its under belly.

Habitat: Once fairly common in the sandy deserts and hills, It is found in the plains of North-western and central India up to the south of Krishna river.

Habits: It is a shy animal and avoids human habitation. It can live without water for days and eats grass, leaves, crops and fruits such as pump kin and melons.
  • Amitabh K Sinha