nilgai

The nilgai was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766 who proposed the scientific name Antilope tragocamelus.{{MSW3|id=14200692|page=}} Pallas based his description on an account of a male nilgai by James Parsons.{{cite journal |last1=Parsons |first1=J. |title=An account of a quadruped brought from Bengal and now to be seen in London |journal=Philosophical Transactions |date=1745 |volume=43 |issue=476 |pages=465–467 |url=https://archive.org/stream/jstor-104493/104493#page/n1/mode/2up |doi=10.1098/rstl.1744.0089 |s2cid=186210125}}{{cite book|last1=Renshaw |first1=G. |title=Final Natural History Essays |date=1907 |publisher=Sherratt & Hughes|location=Cambridge, England |url=https://archive.org/details/finalnaturalhist00rensrich/page/120 |pages=120–121}}

The vernacular name "nilgai" {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ɪ|l|ˌ|g|aɪ}} comes from the fusion of the Hindi words nil ("blue") and gai ("cow"). The word was first recorded in use in 1882.{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|Nilgai|access-date=8 March 2016}} Alternative origins could be from the Persian gaw ("cow"). The nilgai has been referred to by a variety of names: neelghae, nilgau, nilgo, nylghau,{{cite journal|last1=Gray|first1=J.E.|title=Synopsis of the species of antelopes and strepsiceres, with descriptions of new species |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |date=1850 |volume=18|pages=111–146|url=https://archive.org/stream/proceedings32londgoog#page/n150/mode/2up}} and nylghai,{{cite journal|last1=Pilgrim |first1=G.E.|title=The fossil bovidae of India|journal=Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India |series=New Series |date=1939|volume=26|pages=1–356}} constructions referring to other "blue" animals. They are also known as white-footed antelope. During Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's reign of India, the nilgai was known by the name nilghor ("nil" for "blue" and "ghor" for "horse").

The generic name Boselaphus comes from the combination of the Latin bos ("cow" or "ox") and the Greek {{transliteration|grc|elaphos}} ("deer").{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|Boselaphus|access-date=8 March 2016}} The specific name tragocamelus is derived from the joining of the two Greek words tragos ("he-goat") and kamelos ("camel"). The binomial combination was first used by English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1883.

A 1992 phylogenetic study of mitochondrial DNA sequences showed a strong possibility of a clade consisting of Boselaphini, Bovini, and Tragelaphini. Bovini consists of the genera Bubalus, Bos, Pseudoryx (saola), Syncerus (African Buffalo), Bison and the extinct Pelorovis. Tragelaphini consists of two genera: Taurotragus (eland) and Tragelaphus. A closer relationship between Boselaphini and Tragelaphini was predicted,{{cite journal |last1=Allard |first1=M.W. |last2=Miyamoto |first2=M.M.|last3=Jarecki|first3=L.|last4=Kraus|first4=F.|last5=Tennant|first5=M.R.|title=DNA systematics and evolution of the artiodactyl family Bovidae|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |date=1992 |volume=89|issue=9|pages=3972–3976 |pmid=1570322 |pmc=525613 |doi=10.1073/pnas.89.9.3972 |doi-access=free |bibcode=1992PNAS...89.3972A}} and seconded by a similar study in 1999.{{cite journal |last1=Hassanin |first1=A. |last2=Douzery |first2=E. J. P. |title=Evolutionary affinities of the enigmatic saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) in the context of the molecular phylogeny of Bovidae|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences| date=1999 |volume=266 |issue=1422 |pages=893–900 |doi=10.1098/rspb.1999.0720 |pmid=10380679 |pmc=1689916}}

{{clade | style=font-size:100%;line-height:100%;

|label1=

|1={{clade

|1= Bovini

|2= {{clade

|1=Tragelaphini

|2=Boselaphini}}}}}}

Though the tribe Boselaphini has no African representation today,{{cite book |last1=Brain|first1=C.K.|title=The Hunters or the Hunted?: An Introduction to African Cave Taphonomy |date=1981|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago, US|isbn=978-0-226-07089-6 |page=167}} fossil evidence supports its presence in the continent in the prehistoric times, as early as the late Miocene. The two living antelope species of this tribe have been found to have a closer relationship with the earliest bovids (like Eotragus species) than do the other bovids.{{cite journal|last1=Pitra|first1=C.|last2=Furbass|first2=R.|last3=Seyfert|first3=H.M.|title=Molecular phylogeny of the tribe Bovini (Mammalia: Artiodactyla): alternative placement of the Anoa|journal=Journal of Evolutionary Biology|date=1997|volume=10|issue=4|pages=589–600|doi=10.1046/j.1420-9101.1997.10040589.x |s2cid=84545142 |doi-access=free}} This tribe originated at least 8.9 million years ago, in much the same area where the four-horned antelope lives today, and may represent the most "primitive" of all living bovids, having changed the least since the origins of the family.{{cite journal | author = Bibi, F. | year = 2007 | title = Origin, paleoecology, and paleobiogeography of early Bovini | journal = Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology | volume = 248 | issue = 1 | pages = 60–72 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.11.009 |bibcode = 2007PPP...248...60B}} The extant and extinct boselaphine forms show similar development of the horn cores (the central bony part of the horn).{{cite journal|last1=Solounias|first1=N.|title=A new hypothesis uniting Boselaphus and Tetracerus with the Miocene Boselaphini (Mammalia, Bovidae) based on horn morphology|journal=Annales Musei Goulandris |date=1990|volume=8|pages=425–439}} Though the extant nilgai females lack horns, historic relatives of the antelope had horned females. Fossil relatives were once placed in the subfamily Cephalophinae{{cite book|last=Von Zittel| first=Karl A.| title=Text-book of Palaeontology. Volume III. Mammalia. |publisher=Macmillan and Co.|place=London| year=1925|pages=211–214 |url=https://archive.org/stream/textbookofpaleon31896zitt#page/210/mode/2up}} which now contains only the African duikers.{{cite journal|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-12-120|pmid=22823504|pmc=3523051|title=A multi-locus species phylogeny of African forest duikers in the subfamily Cephalophinae: Evidence for a recent radiation in the Pleistocene|journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=12 |page=120 |year=2012 |last1=Johnston|first1=A. R.|last2=Anthony|first2=N. M. |doi-access=free }} Fossils of Protragoceros and Sivoreas dating back to the late Miocene have been discovered not only in Asia and southern Europe but also in the Ngorora Formation (Kenya) and are thought to belong to the Boselaphini.{{cite journal|last1=Kostopoulus|first1=D. S.|title=The Bovidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the late Miocene of Akkas¸dag˘i, Turkey|journal=Geodiversitas|date=2005|volume=27|pages=747–791 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257306924}}{{cite journal |last1=Benefit|first1=B.R.|last2=Pickford|first2=M.|title=Miocene fossil cercopithecoids from Kenya|journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology|date=1986|volume=69|issue=4|pages=441–464 |doi=10.1002/ajpa.1330690404}} Other Miocene fossils of boselaphines discovered are of Eotragus, Miotragocerus and Tragoportax; fossils of Miotragoceros are not apparent in Africa (only M. cyrenaicus has been reported from the continent), but have significant presence in the Shiwalik Hills in India and Pakistan, as do several Tragoportax species. A 2005 study showed the migration of Miotragoceros to eastern Asia around eight million years ago.{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Z. |title=Late Miocene Boselaphini (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) from Fugu, Shaanxi Province, China|journal=Vertebrata PalAsiatica|date=2005| volume=43|issue=3|pages=208–218 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262300595}} Alan W. Gentry of the Natural History Museum reported the presence of another boselaphine, Mesembriportax, from Langebaanweg (South Africa).{{cite book|last1=WoldeGabriel|first1=G.|editor1-last=Haile-Selassie|editor1-first=Y.|title=Ardipithecus Kadabba: Late Miocene Evidence from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia|date=2009| publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley| isbn=978-0-520-25440-4 |pages=289–290}}

Remains of the nilgai dating back to the Pleistocene have been discovered from the Kurnool caves in southern India.{{cite journal|last1=Prasad|first1=K.N.|title=Pleistocene cave fauna from peninsular India |url=https://caves.org/pub/journal/PDF/V58/V58N1-Prasad.pdf |journal=Journal of Cave and Karst Studies |date=1996|volume=58|pages=30–34}} Evidence suggests that they were hunted by humans during the Mesolithic period (5,000 to 8,000 years ago).{{cite journal |last1=Murty |first1=M.L.K.|title=Ethnoarchaeology of the Kurnool cave areas, South India|journal=World Archaeology|date=2010|volume=17|issue=2|pages=192–205|doi=10.1080/00438243.1985.9979962}}{{Cite journal|last1=Patnaik|first1=Rajeev|last2=Badam|first2=G. L.|last3=Murty|first3=M. L. K.|date=2008 |title=Additional vertebrate remains from one of the Late Pleistocene—Holocene Kurnool Caves (Muchchatla Chintamanu Gavi) of South India|journal=Quaternary International|series=Multiple Approaches to South Asian Paleoanthropology: A Tribute to Gudrun Corvinus|volume=192|issue=1|pages=43–51 |doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2007.06.018 |bibcode=2008QuInt.192...43P}}

File:Nilgai at Ranthambore.jpg

File:Boselaphus tragocamelus 05 MWNH 1497d.jpg

The nilgai is sturdy with a deep neck, a sloping back and thin legs; it has a short mane of hair behind and along the back ending behind the shoulder, a white patch on the throat and around two white spots each on its face, ears, cheeks, lips and chin. The ears, tipped with black, are {{cvt|15|-|18|cm}} long. Along the dewlap ridge below the white throat patch, it has a column of coarse hair, known as the "pendant" which is around {{cvt|13|cm}} long in males. The tufted tail has a few white spots and is tipped with black. It is up to {{cvt|54|cm}} long; the forelegs are generally longer than the hindlegs,{{cite book |editor1-last=Eldredge |editor1-first=N.|title=Life on Earth: An Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution |date=2002 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |location=Santa Barbara, California (US) |isbn=978-1-57607-286-8 |page=192}} and are often marked with white "socks".

While females and juveniles are orange to tawny, males are much darker and typically bluish grey. The ventral parts, the insides of the thighs and the tail are all white. A white stripe extends from the underbelly and broadens as it approaches the rump, forming a patch lined with dark hair. Almost white, though not albino, individuals have been observed in the Sariska National Park.{{cite journal |date=1987 |title=Unusual coloration of nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49081242 |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=84 |page=203 |last1=Ranjitsinh |author-link=MK Ranjitsinh Jhala |first1=M. K.}} while individuals with white patches have been recorded at zoos.{{cite journal |author=Smielowski, J. |year=1987 |title=Albinism in the Blue bull or Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus (Pallas, 1766) |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49081500 |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=84 |pages=427–428}} The hairs, typically {{cvt|23|-|28|cm}} long, are fragile and brittle.{{cite journal |last2=Sabnis |first2=J.H. |date=1981|title=Aids to the identification of artiodactylan hairs with general comments on hair structure |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48228823 |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=78 |pages=299–302 |last1=Koppiker |first1=B.R.}} Males have thicker skin on their head and neck that protect them in fights. The coat is not well-insulated with fat during winter, and consequently severe cold might be fatal for the nilgai.

Males are horned, and the occasional female. The horns are {{cvt|15|-|24|cm}} long but generally shorter than {{cvt|30|cm}}. Smooth and straight, these may point backward or forward.{{cite book|last1=Lundeberg|first1=A.|last2=Seymour|first2=F.|title=The Great Roosevelt African Hunt and the Wild Animals of Africa |date=1910 |publisher=D. B. McCurdy|location=Chicago, US |isbn=978-5-519-33652-9|page=351}} The horns of the nilgai lack the ringed structure typical of those of other bovids.{{cite book |last1=Tiwari |first1=S. K. |title=National Parks of Madhya Pradesh: State of Bio Diversity and Human Infringement |date=1998 |publisher=APH Pub. Corporation |location=New Delhi, India |isbn=978-81-7024-950-4 |pages=110–112 |edition=First}}

The nilgai is the largest antelope in Asia.{{cite book |last1=Padhi |first1=S. |last2=Panigrahi |first2=G.K. |last3=Panda |first3=S. |title=The Wild Animals of India |date=2004 |publisher=Biotech Books |location=Delhi|isbn=978-81-7622-106-1 |pages=26–27}}{{cite book|editor1-last=Rafferty |editor1-first=J.P. |title=Grazers |date=2011 |publisher=Britannica Educational Publication |location=New York, US |isbn=978-1-61530-336-6|pages=83–84 |edition=First |url=https://archive.org/details/grazers0000raff/page/83}} It stands {{cvt|1|-|1.5|m}} at the shoulder;{{cite book |last1=Schmidly |first1=D.J.|title=The Mammals of Texas |date=2004 |publisher=University of Texas Press|location=Austin, Texas (US) |isbn=978-1-4773-0886-8 |pages=283–284 |edition=Revised}} the head-and-body length is typically between {{cvt|1.7|-|2.1|m}}. Males weigh {{cvt|109|-|288|kg}}; the maximum weight recorded is {{cvt|308|kg}}. Females are lighter, weighing {{cvt|100|-|213|kg}}. Sexual dimorphism is prominent; the males are larger than females and differ in and colouration.

The maximum recorded length of the skull is {{cvt|376|mm}}. The dental formula is {{DentalFormula|upper=0.0.3.3|lower=3.1.3.3}}. The milk teeth are totally lost and the permanent dentition completed by three years of age. The permanent teeth get degraded with age, showing prominent signs of wear at six years of age. The nilgai has sharp ears and eyes,{{cite book|last1=Goetze|first1=J.R.|title=The Mammals of the Edwards Plateau, Texas|date=1998|publisher=Museum of Texas Tech University |location=Lubbock, Texas |isbn=978-0-9640188-7-7 |page=242}} though its sense of smell is not as acute.{{cite journal |last1=Brown |first1=C. E. |year=1936 |title= Rearing wild animals in captivity, and gestation periods |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |volume=17 |issue= 1 | pages = 10–13 |jstor=1374541 |doi=10.2307/1374541}}

File:A nilgai female in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, AJT Johnsingh. IMG 5875.JPG, Uttar Pradesh]]

File:Nilgai in Blackbuck National Park 02.jpg

The nilgai is endemic to the Indian subcontinent: major populations occur in India, Nepal and Pakistan. The population in Bangladesh was thought to be extinct, but some individuals from Indian and Nepalese populations cross the border into the northwest of the country.{{Cite web|date=2019-04-02|title=Another nilgai found in Naogaon|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/city/news/another-nilgai-found-naogaon-1723582|access-date=2021-02-08|website=The Daily Star|language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2024/03/comeback-on-the-cards-for-asian-antelope-declared-extinct-in-bangladesh/ |title=Comeback on the cards for Asian antelope declared extinct in Bangladesh |author=Rafiqul Islam |work=Mongabay |date=20 March 2024 |access-date=16 April 2024}} Significant numbers occur in the Terai lowlands in the foothills of the Himalayas; the antelope is abundant across northern India.{{cite book |last1=Mallon|first1=D.P.|last2=Kingswood|first2=S.C.|last3=East|first3=R.|title=Antelopes: global survey and regional action plans|date=1900|publisher=IUCN|location=Gland, Switzerland|isbn=978-2-8317-0594-1 |page=189}}

It prefers areas with short bushes and scattered trees in scrub forests and grassy plains. They are common in agricultural lands, but hardly occur in dense woods. In southern Texas, it roams in the prairies, scrub forests and oak forests. It is a generalist animal—it can adapt to a variety of habitats. Though sedentary and less dependent on water, nilgai may desert their territories if all water sources in and around it dry up. Territories in Texas are {{Convert|0.6|to|8.1|sqkm|sqmi}} large.

The Indian population was estimated at one million in 2001. The nilgai were first introduced to Texas in the 1920s and the 1930s in a {{cvt|6000|acre|ha}} large ranch near the Norias Division of the King Ranch, one of the largest ranches in the world. The feral population saw a spurt toward the latter part of the 1940s, and gradually spread out to adjoining ranches.{{cite book |last1=Teer|first1=James G.|title=It's a Long Way from Llano: The Journey of a Wildlife Biologist|date=2008|publisher=Texas A & M University Press|location=College Station, Texas (US)|isbn=978-1-60344-068-4 |pages=98–104 |edition=First}}

File:Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) bull (19725141044).jpg

Population densities show great geographical variation across India. Density can be as low as 0.23 to 0.34 individuals per km² in Indravati National Park.{{cite journal|last1=Pandey|first1=R. K. |title=Habitat utilization and diurnal activity pattern in Indian wild buffalo (Bubalus bubalis Linn.) in Indravati Wildlife National Park, India: a study of habitat/animal interactions|journal=Journal of Tropical Ecology |date=1988 |volume=4|pages=269–280}} and 0.4 individuals per km² in the Pench Tiger Reserve,{{cite journal|last1=Biswas|first1=S.|last2=Sankar|first2=K.|title=Prey abundance and food habit of tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India|journal=Journal of Zoology |date=2002 |volume=256|issue=3|pages=411–420 |doi=10.1017/S0952836902000456}} or as high as 6.6 to 11.36 individuals per km² in Ranthambhore National Park, and seven individuals per km² in Keoladeo National Park.{{cite journal |last1=Bagchi |first1=S. |last2=Goyal|first2=S.P.|last3=Sankar|first3=K.|title=Herbivore density and biomass in a semi-arid tropical dry deciduous forest of western India|journal=Journal of Tropical Ecology |date=2004 |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=475–478 |doi=10.1017/S026646740400166X|s2cid=84994405}} Seasonal variations were noted in Bardiya National Park in a 1980 study; the density 3.2 individuals per km² during the dry season and 5 per km² in April, the start of the dry season. In southern Texas, densities were found to be nearly 3–5 individuals per km² in 1976.

Historic notes mention nilgai in southern India, but these may have been feral:{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/notesonjerdonsma00mcmarich#page/124/mode/2up|title=Notes on Jerdon's Mammals of India|date=1871|publisher=Higginbothams|location=Madras (Chennai), India|pages=124–125 |last1=McMaster|first1=A.C.}}

{{blockquote|I believe that the Coimbatore and Salem collectorates are almost the only places in Southern India, in which nil-gai are to be found. It is difficult to account for the animals being thus so widely divided from their usual haunts unless as has been generally supposed, these Southern specimens are the progeny of a semi-domesticated herd, which, at some by-gone period, had escaped from the preserve of a native potentate.|Andrew Cooke McMaster (Notes on Jerdon's Mammals of India, 1871)}}

File:Nilgais (Boselaphus tragocamelus) bull and cows (19973574544).jpg, Rajasthan, India]]

File:Nilgai bull group, Umred Karhandla WLS AJTJ P1090895.jpg, Maharashtra]]

The nilgai is diurnal (active mainly during the day). A 1991 study investigated the daily routine of the antelope and found feeding peaks at dawn, in the morning, in the afternoon and during the evening.{{cite journal|last1=Oguya|first1=B. R. O.|last2=Eltringham|first2=S. K.|title=Behaviour of nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) antelope in captivity|journal=Journal of Zoology |date=1991 |volume=223 |issue=1 |pages=91–102|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1991.tb04751.x}} Females and juveniles do not interact appreciably with males, except during the mating season. Groups are generally small, with ten or fewer individuals, though groups of 20 to 70 individuals can occur at times. In a 1980 study in Bardiya National Park, the average herd size was of three individuals;{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=E. |title=An ecological survey of the Royal Karnali-Bardia Wildlife Reserve, Nepal. Part II: Habitat/animal interactions|journal=Biological Conservation|date=1979|volume=16|issue=4|pages=265–300 |doi=10.1016/0006-3207(79)90055-7}} In a 1995 study in the Gir National Park, herd membership varied with season.{{cite journal |last1=Khan|first1=J. A. |last2=Chellam |first2=R. |last3=Johnsingh |first3=A. J. T. |title=Group size and age-sex composition of three major ungulate species in Gir Lion Sanctuary, Gujarat, India |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |date=1995 |volume=92|issue=295–302}} However, three distinct groupings are formed: one or two females with young calves, three to six adult and yearling females with calves, and male groups with two to 18 members.

File:Nilgai running.jpg

Typically tame, the nilgai may appear timid and cautious if harassed or alarmed; instead of seeking cover like duikers it would flee up to {{cvt|300|m}}-or even {{cvt|700|m|ft}} on galloping-away from the danger.{{cite journal|last1=Sheffield |first1=W. J. |year=1983 |title=Food habits of nilgai antelope in Texas |journal=Journal of Range Management |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=316–322 |jstor=3898478 |doi=10.2307/3898478 |hdl=10150/645878 |s2cid=55180587 |hdl-access=free}} Though generally quiet, nilgai have been reported to make short guttural grunts when alarmed, and females to make clicking noises when nursing young.{{cite journal |last1=Goldman |first1=J. E. |last2=Stevens|first2=V.J.|title=The birth and development of twin Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus at Washington Park Zoo, Portland |journal=International Zoo Yearbook|date=1980|volume=20|issue=1 |pages=234–240 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1980.tb00982.x}} Alarmed individuals, mainly juveniles below five months, give out a coughing roar (whose pitch is highest in case of the juveniles) that lasts half a second, but can be heard by herds less than {{cvt|500|m|ft}} away and responded to similarly.

Fights take place in both sexes and involve pushing their necks against each other or ramming into one another using horns. Fights can be gory; despite the protective skin deep, lacerated wounds and even deaths might occur. Display behaviour focuses on the throat patch and the beard, and threatening opponents by pointing the horns toward them. A young male was observed making a submissive display in the Sariska Reserve by kneeling before an adult male, who stood erect. The nilgai mark their territories by forming dung piles as much as {{cvt|50|cm}} in radius. The defecation process is elaborate-the antelope stands with his legs about a metre apart, with the rump lowered and the tail held almost vertical; it stays in the same posture for at least ten seconds after relieving itself. The process is not as elaborate in the females as it is in the males.

File:Nilgais fighting, Lakeshwari, Gwalior district, India.jpg

In India, the nilgai shares its habitat with the four-horned antelope, chinkara, chital and blackbuck; its association with the gaur and the water buffalo is less common. In Ranthambore National Park, the nilgai and the chinkara collectively prefer the area rich in Acacia and Butea species, while the sambar deer and the chital preferred the forests of Anogeissus and Grewia species.{{cite journal |last1=Bagchi |first1=S. |last2=Goyal |first2=S. P. |last3=Sankar |first3=K. |title=Niche relationships of an ungulate assemablage in a dry tropical forest |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |date=2003 |volume=84|issue=3|pages=981–988|doi=10.1644/BBa-024|doi-access=free}} In India, the Bengal tiger and Asiatic lion prey on the nilgai but the latter is not a significant predator of this antelope. Leopards also prey on the nilgai, though they prefer smaller prey.{{cite journal |last1=Hayward |first1=M. W. |last2=Henschel |first2=P. |last3=O'Brien |first3=J. |last4=Hofmeyr |first4=M. |last5=Blame |first5=G.|last6=Kerley|first6=G. I. H.|title=Prey preferences of the leopard (Panthera pardus) |journal=Journal of Zoology|date=2006|volume=270|issue=2|pages=298–313 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00139.x}} Dholes generally attack juveniles. Other predators includes the Indian wolf{{cite journal |last1=Jethva |first1=B.D. |last2=Jhala |author2-link=Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala |first2=Y. V. |year=2004 |title=Foraging ecology, economics and conservation of Indian wolves in the Bhal region of Gujarat, western India |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=116 |issue=3 |pages=351–357 |doi=10.1016/S0006-3207(03)00218-0}} and striped hyena.

The nilgai is a browser or mixed feeder,{{cite thesis |last1=Haque|first1=N.|title=Study on the ecology of wild ungulates of Keoladeo National Park Bharatpur, Rajasthan |type=PhD Thesis |location=Centre for Wildlife and Ornithology, Aligarh Muslim University |date=1990}} but primarily a grazer in Texas. It prefers grasses and herbs, but also feeds on woody plants in the dry tropical forests of India. Diets generally suffice in protein and fats.{{cite journal |last1=Khan|first1=A. A.|title=A note on nutritive value of forages for nilgai|journal=Pakistan Journal of Forestry|date=1979|volume=29|issue=3|pages=199–202}} The protein content of the nilgai's should be at least seven percent.{{cite journal |last1=Priebe |first1=J. C. |last2=Brown|first2=R. D. |title=Protein requirements of subadult nilgai antelope|journal=Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A|date=1987|volume=88|issue=3|pages=495–501|doi=10.1016/0300-9629(87)90070-3|pmid=2892623}} The nilgai can survive for long periods without water and does not drink regularly even in summer.{{cite journal|last1=Prater|first1=S.H.|title=The Wild Animals of the Indian Empire and the problems of their preservation. Part 2.|journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |date=1934|volume=37|pages=59–96 |url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofbomb37121934bomb#page/71/mode/1up/}}

File:Nilgai or blue bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus) male and female from keoladeo national park JEG2996.jpg, Rajasthan]]

File:Adult male nilgai browsing in trees outside Burla.jpg

In Sariska Reserve, it prefers herbs and grasses; grasses become more important in the rainy season, while during winter and summer it feeds additionally on Butea monosperma flowers, foliage of Anogeissus pendula, Capparis sepiaria, Grewia flavescens and Zizyphus mauritiana), pods of Acacia nilotica, A. catechu and A. leucophloea, and fruits of Zizyphus mauritiana. Preferred grass species include Cenchrus species, Cynodon dactylon, Desmostachya bipinnata, Scirpus tuberosus and Vetiveria zizanoides. Woody plants eaten include Acacia nilotica, A. senegal, A. leucophloea, Clerodendrum phlomidis, Crotalaria burhia, Indigofera oblongifolia, Morus alba and Zizyphus nummularia; herbs favoured are Cocculus hirsutus, Euphorbia hirta and Sida rhombifolia.{{cite journal|last1=Solanki|first1=G. S. |last2=Naik |first2=R. M. |title=Grazing interactions between wild and domestic herbivores |journal=Small Ruminant Research |date=1998 |volume=27|issue=3|pages=231–235 |doi=10.1016/S0921-4488(97)00038-2}}{{cite journal |last1=Mirza |first1=Z. B. |last2=Khan |first2=M. A.|title=Study of distribution, habitat and food of nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus in Punjab|journal=Pakistan Journal of Zoology |date=1975 |volume=7 |pages=209–214}}{{cite journal|year=1992|title=Notes on the food habits of nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48732563 |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=89|pages=115–116|author1=Sankar, K. |author2=Vijayan, V. S.}} Seeds of Paspalum distichum occurred in the dung of nilgai most of the year; Acacia nilotica and Prosopis juliflora seeds were discovered in the dry season and those of Echinochloa crusgalli during the monsoon.{{cite journal|last1 = Middleton| first1=B. A.| last2=Mason |first2=D. H. |year=1992 |title=Seed herbivory by nilgai, feral cattle, and wild boar in the Keoladeo National Park, India |journal=Biotropica |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=538–543 |jstor=2389017 |doi=10.2307/2389017}}

File:Nilgai mating at Bandhavgarh National Park.jpg

File:Boselaphus tragocamelus-no watermark.jpg

Observations of females in southern Texas revealed that ovaries are developed by two years of age and the first birth takes place typically a year later, though in a few cases females as young as one-and-a-half years may mate successfully. Females can breed again around a year after parturition. Males in the same location were found to have active testes by the age of three years, that matured considerably by the next year.{{cite journal| last1 = Lochmiller| first1 = R.L. |last2=Sheffield |first2=W. J. | year=1989 |title=Reproductive traits of male nilgai antelope in Texas

|journal=The Southwestern Naturalist |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=276–278 |jstor=3671738 |doi=10.2307/3671738}} Males become sexually active at four or five years. Mating may occur throughout the year, with peaks of three to four months. The time of the year when these peaks occur varies geographically. In Texas, a peak is apparent from December to March.{{cite book |last1=Deal |first1=K. H. |title=Wildlife and natural resource management|date=2011|publisher=Delmar Cengage Learning|location=Clifton Park, New York |isbn=978-1-4354-5397-5|page=155|edition=3rd}} In Bharatpur National Park, the breeding season is from October to February, peaking in November and December. Sariska reserve witnesses a similar peak in December and January.{{cite journal |last1=Sankar |first1=K. |last2=Johnsingh |first2=A. J. T.|last3=Acharya|first3=B.|title=Blue bull or nilgai |journal=Envis Bulletin (Wildlife and Protected Areas): Ungulates of India |date=2004|volume=7|issue=1|pages=29–40 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230668415|issn=0972-088X}}

In the mating season, rutting males move about in search of females in oestrus. Males become aggressive and fight among themselves for dominance. These fights are characterised by displays of the enlarged chest, the throat patch and the beard while holding the head upright; and threatening the opponent by running with the horns pointed toward him and circling him.{{cite journal|last1=Cowan|first1=I. McT. |last2=Geist |first2=V. |title=Aggressive behavior in deer of the genus Odocoileus|journal=Journal of Mammalogy |date=1961|volume=42|issue=4|pages=522–526|doi=10.2307/1377372|jstor=1377372}} The victorious bull would protect the vicinity of the targeted female from other males. The courtship typically lasts for 45 minutes. The male, stiff and composed, approaches the receptive female, who keeps her head low to the ground and may slowly walk forward. The male licks her genitalia, upon which the female holds her tail to a side and the male gives out a flehmen response. Finally, the male pushes his chest against her rump, and mounts her.

Gestation lasts eight to nine months, following which a single calf or twins (even triplets at times) are born. In a 2004 study in the Sariska reserve, twins accounted for as high as 80 percent of the total calf population. Births peak from June to October in the Bharatpur National Park, and from April to August in southern Texas. Calves are precocial; they are able to stand within 40 minutes of birth, and forage by the fourth week. Pregnant females isolate themselves before giving birth. As typical of several bovid species, nilgai calves are kept in hiding for the first few weeks of their lives. This period of concealment can last as long as a month in Texas. Calves, mainly males, bicker playfully by neck-fighting. Young males would leave their mothers at ten months to join bachelor groups. The lifespan of the nilgai is typically ten years in Texas.

The nilgai is categorised as of Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural resources (IUCN). While it is common in India, the nilgai occurs sparsely in Nepal and Pakistan. The major reasons behind its decimation in these two countries are rampant hunting, deforestation and habitat degradation in the 20th century. As of 2008, the feral population in Texas was nearly 37,000. Wild populations also exist in the US states of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, where they have escaped from private exotic ranches.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} The population around the Texas-Mexico border is estimated to be around 30,000 (as of 2011).{{cite journal|last1=Cárdenas-Canales|first1=E.M.|last2=Ortega-Santos|first2=J.A.|last3=Campbell|first3=T.A.|last4=García-Vázquez|first4=Z.|last5=Cantú-Covarrubias|first5=A.|last6=Figueroa-Millán|first6=J.V.|last7=DeYoung|first7=R.W.|last8=Hewitt|first8=D.G.|last9=Bryant|first9=F.C.|title=Nilgai antelope in northern Mexico as a Possible Carrier for Cattle Fever Ticks and Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina|journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases|date=2011|volume=47|issue=3|pages=777–9|doi=10.7589/0090-3558-47.3.777|pmid=21719852|s2cid=41500720|url=http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/publications/11pubs/campbell114.pdf|access-date=2011-07-17|archive-date=2011-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106093424/http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/nwrc/publications/11pubs/campbell114.pdf|url-status=dead}}

In India, the nilgai is protected under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.{{cite news|title=Environment ministry may allow hunting of 'nuisance' wild animals|url=http://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment-ministry-may-allow-hunting-of-nuisance-wild-animals-50140|access-date=11 March 2016|work=Down to Earth|date=11 June 2015}} Major protected areas for the nilgai across India include: Gir National Park (Gujarat); Bandhavgarh National Park, Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanha National Park, Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, Panna Tiger Reserve, Pench Tiger Reserve, Sanjay National Park, Satpura National Park (Madhya Pradesh); Tadoba Andhari Reserve (Maharashtra); Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Sultanpur National Park in Gurgaon, Ranthambore National Park and Sariska Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan).{{cite book|last1=Belsare|first1=D.K.|title=Vanishing Roar of Bengal Tigers|date=2011|publisher=RoseDog Books|location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (US)|isbn=978-1-4349-8509-5|pages=17–29}}

File:Nilgai, Lakeshwari, Gwalior district, India.jpg

Remains of nilgai have been excavated at Pandu Rajar Dhibi in West Bengal, suggesting that they were domesticated or hunted in eastern India in the Neolithic period (6500–1400 BCE){{cite book |last1=Sharma|first1=R.S.|title=Material Culture and Social Formations in Ancient India |date=2007|publisher=Macmillan India|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-0-230-63380-3 |page=129 |edition=Second}} and during the Indus Valley civilisation (3300–1700 BCE) in the Indian subcontinent.{{cite book|last1=Mallory|first1=J.P.|last2=Adams|first2=D.Q.|title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture|date=1997|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn|location=London|isbn=978-1-884964-98-5 |page=256 |edition=First}}{{cite journal|year=2011|title=Faunal Remains from Shikarpur, a Harappan Site in Gujarat, India|journal=Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies|volume=1|pages=16–25|author1=Joglekar, P. P. |author2=Goyal, P.j}} There is a reference to the nilgai in the Aitareya Brahmana (a Hindu religious text dated 500–1000 BCE), where one of the Prajapatis (progenitor god) is said to have assumed the form of a nilgai:{{cite book|last1=Parpola|first1=A.|title=The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization|date=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, UK|isbn=978-0-19-022692-3 |page=247}}

{{Blockquote|Prajapati desired his own daughter ... Having become a nilgai bull he approached her who had become a nilgai cow ... The gods saw him and said: "Prajapati is doing a deed that is not done".}}

File:Nilgai (blue bull).jpg for Jahangir (1605–27), c. 1620]]

Nilgai are extensively featured in paintings, dagger hilts and texts from the Mughal era (16th to 19th centuries);{{cite book|last1=Moore|first1=C.|editor1-last=Ekhtiar|editor1-first=M.|title=Art of the Islamic World: A Resource for Educators|date=2013|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York, US |isbn=978-0-300-19181-3|page=158}}{{cite book|last1=Newton|first1=D.|title=The Pacific Islands, Africa, and the Americas|date=1987|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York, US|isbn=978-0-87099-461-6 |page=145}} their representation, however, is less frequent than that of horses and camels.{{cite book|last1=Alexander|first1=D.|last2=Pyhrr|first2=S.W.|last3=Kwiatkowski|first3=W.|title=Islamic Arms and Armor: in The Metropolitan Museum of Art|date=2015|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York, US |isbn=978-1-58839-570-2|page=212}} On being disturbed while hunting nilgai, the Mughal emperor Jahangir recorded his ire:{{cite book|last1=Eraly|first1=Abraham|title=The Mughal World: Life in India's Last Golden Age|date=2007|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New Delhi, India|isbn=978-0-14-310262-5 |page=259}}

{{Blockquote|Suddenly a groom and two bearers appeared, and the nilgai escaped. In a great rage, I ordered them to kill the groom on the spot and hamstring the bearers and mount them on asses and parade them through the camp.}}

For centuries Indian villagers have associated the nilgai with the cow, a sacred animal revered by Hindus, and the name ("gai" means "cow" in Hindi) indicates the similarity they saw with the cow.{{cite book|last1=Lewis|first1=M.|title=Inventing Global Ecology: Tracking the Biodiversity Ideal in India, 1945–1997|date=2003|publisher=Orient Longman|location=New Delhi, India|isbn=978-81-250-2377-7 |page=286}} The nilgai is rarely consumed by Hindus due to its religious significance. Tribes such as the Bishnois traditionally take care of wild animals like the nilgai.{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/This-vet-treats-700-wild-patients-a-year/articleshow/51228019.cms|title=This vet treats 700 wild patients a year!|date=2 March 2016|work=The Times of India|last1=Thomas|first1=R.|access-date=9 March 2016}} The nilgai was not widely hunted until the 20th century, when habitat degradation and poaching became rampant.{{cite book |last1=Armstrong|first1=M.|title=Wildlife and Plants: Volume 12|date=2007|publisher=Marshall Cavendis h|location=New York, US|isbn=978-0-7614-7705-1|pages=718–9|edition=3rd}}{{cite book|last1=Brendt|first1=R.|title=Worldwide Hunting Adventures: Memories of the Hunt |date=2013 |publisher=Xlibris Corporation|location=Bloomington, Indiana (US)|isbn=978-1-4836-4617-6|pages=118–122}}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}} The meat of nilgai is said to be lighter and milder flavoured than blackbuck meat.{{cite book|title=Field Guide to Meat: How to Identify, Select and Prepare Virtually Every Meat, Poultry and Game Cut |url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetomeat0000gree|url-access=registration|date=2005|publisher=Quirk Books|isbn=978-1-59474-017-6|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|page=264 |last1=Green|first1=A.}}

The populations of nilgai in India are so large that farmers in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have pleaded to the government to cull them. Nilgai herds raid and trample crop fields across these states,{{cite journal |last1=Goyal |first1=S. K. |last2=Rajpurohit|first2=L.S.|title=Nilgai, Boselaphus tragocamelus – a mammalian crop pest around Jodhpur|journal=Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoology |date=2000 |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=55–59}} often causing food shortages.{{cite news|last1=Dabas|first1=H.|title=As Nilgai destroy fields, cane farmers urged to grow pulses|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/As-Nilgai-destroy-fields-cane-farmers-urged-to-grow-pulses/articleshow/49587588.cms|access-date=9 March 2016|work=The Times of India |date=29 October 2015}}

Farmers use live electric wires to guard their farms, which kills other animals as well.{{cite news|last1=Lenin|first1=J.|title=India: Changing the nilgai's name as a management strategy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/india-untamed/2014/dec/27/changing-nilgais-name-management-strategy|access-date=9 March 2016|work=The Guardian|date=27 December 2014}} Farmers in Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh) went on a hunger strike in 2015 demanding compensation for the damage caused by nilgai.{{cite news|author=Times News Network|title=Nilgai menace drives Neemuch farmers to edge|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/Nilgai-menace-drives-Neemuch-farmers-to-edge/articleshow/50254024.cms|access-date=9 March 2016|work=The Times of India|date=20 December 2015}} Although blackbuck cause a similar problem, the damage caused by them is significantly lower as they merely break off young shoots.{{cite journal |last1=Chauhan |first1=N.P.S. |last2=Singh |first2=R.|title=Crop damage by overabundant populations of nilgai and blackbuck in Haryana (India) and its management (Paper 13)|journal=Proceedings of the Fourteenth Vertebrate Pest Conference 1990 |date=1990 |pages=218–220|url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=vpc14}}{{cite journal |last1=Chauhan |first1=N.P.S. |last2=Sawarka r|first2=V.B. |title=Problems of over-abundant populations of 'Nilgai' and 'Blackbuck' in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh and their management|journal=The Indian Forester|date=1989|volume=115|issue=7}} A 1990 study suggested culling, building enclosures for the antelopes and fencing off agricultural areas as remedies.

The governments of Bihar, Maharashtra{{cite news |last1=Kulkarni |first1=D.|title=Maharashtra government wants nilgai, wild boar to be declared vermin |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-maharashtra-government-wants-nilgai-wild-boar-to-be-declared-vermin-2180592|access-date=10 March 2016|work=Daily News and Analysis|date=22 February 2016}} and Uttarakhand{{cite news|last1=Sharma|first1=S.|title=U'khand asks MoEF to declare wild boar, nilgai vermin|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/Ukhand-asks-MoEF-to-declare-wild-boar-nilgai-vermin/articleshow/48300138.cms|access-date=9 March 2016|work=The Times of India|date= 31 July 2015}} have urged the Government of India to declare the nilgai as vermin; the proposal has been implemented in Bihar, where nilgai can now be hunted to minimise the damages incurred by locals.{{cite news|last1=Vishnoi|first1=A.|title=Centre allows Bihar to cull Nilgai herds and wild pigs; declares them 'vermin'|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-12-15/news/69061867_1_environment-ministry-blue-bull-bihar-government|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310143854/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-12-15/news/69061867_1_environment-ministry-blue-bull-bihar-government|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 10, 2016|access-date=10 March 2016|work=The Economic Times|date=15 December 2015}} The Uttar Pradesh government has given farmers and firearm licence holders the right to cull the animals.{{cite news|last1=Akhef|first1=M.|title=Govt allows culling of nilgai, wild boar |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/Govt-allows-culling-of-nilgai-wild-boar/articleshow/48274780.cms|access-date=9 March 2016|work=The Times of India|date=30 June 2015}} However, animal rights activists in various parts of India were unhappy with the decision.{{cite news|last1=Singh|first1=V.A.|title=Animal rights groups unhappy with government's decision to declare nilgai as vermin|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-animal-rights-groups-unhappy-with-government-s-decision-to-declare-nilgai-as-vermin-2182775|access-date=10 March 2016|work=Daily News and Analysis|date=27 February 2016}} Shivanshu K. Srivastava, a columnist and social activist, wrote that "The culling of nilgais (blue bulls) in Bihar in July 2016 was so deplorable that it doesn't need any justification. The excuse given for this slew by the State government, the then environment minister Prakash Javadekar and the judiciary is so illogical that it mocks all the solutions available to stop the nilgais from destroying the farms. We live in the 21st century and culling is only the very last option we have. The farmers can either opt for fencing around the farmlands or if it's unaffordable, then the government can give ordinances to relocate them to the forests."{{Cite web|url=http://www.metroindia.com/news/article/27/08/2016/animals-ought-to-have-fundamental-rights/35790|title=Animals ought to have fundamental rights |website=Metroindia |access-date=2017-03-02}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.observerbd.com/details.php?id=30459|title=Animals, too, have the right to live |website=www.observerbd.com|access-date=2017-03-02}} The state governments have attempted other initiatives to curb the nilgai: in November 2015, the Government of Rajasthan came up with a proposal to allow shooting nilgai with non-lethal darts to inhibit fertilisation in their bodies, so as to regulate their increasing populations.{{cite news|last1=Mazoomdaar|first1=J.|title=A new sport in Rajasthan: Shoot and save the nilgai|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/a-new-sport-in-rajasthan-shoot-and-save-the-nilgai/|access-date=9 March 2016|work=The Indian Express |date=2015}} As the name "nilgai" appeals to the religious sentiments of Hindus, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has sought to officially rename it {{lang|hi|rojad}} (Hindi for "forest antelope") and the Government of Haryana to rename it as roze in a bid to make their culling acceptable.{{cite news|last1=Ghatwai|first1=M.|title=To save crops and legitimise killing nilgai, Madhya Pradesh renames it to 'rojad' in rulebooks|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/to-save-crops-and-kill-nilgai-madhya-pradesh-renames-it-to-rojad-in-rulebooks/|access-date=10 March 2016|work=The Indian Express|date=3 March 2016}}{{cite news|last1=Kidwai|first1=R.|title=Change nilgai name and cull it|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160302/jsp/nation/story_72352.jsp#.VuD_ZNCmSpo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302112934/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160302/jsp/nation/story_72352.jsp#.VuD_ZNCmSpo|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 2, 2016|access-date=10 March 2016 |work=The Telegraph|date=2016}}{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/haryana-to-change-name-of-nilgai-to-roze/article8368469.ece|title=Haryana to change name of nilgai to roze|date=18 March 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=29 May 2016}}

A 1994 study drew attention to the ecological value provided by the nilgai in ravines lining the Yamuna River. In summer, the faeces of the antelope contained nearly 1.6 percent nitrogen, that could enhance the quality of the soil up to a depth of {{cvt|30|cm}}. Seeds in the droppings could easily germinate and assist in afforestation.{{cite journal|last1=Prajapati|first1=M.C.|last2=Singh|first2=S.|title=A beneficial aspect of nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) in scientifically utilised ravines – an observation|journal=The Indian Forester |date=1994 |volume=120|issue=10}}

In September 2019, a video surfaced of a nilgai being buried alive with an excavator in Bihar as part of the culling. The state forest department has claimed to have begun an investigation to find those responsible.{{Cite web|url=https://english.newstracklive.com/news/neelgai-buried-alive-in-vaishali-district-of-bihar-mc23-nu-1032980-1.html|title=Brutal pictures surfaced from Bihar, Nilgai was buried alive|website=News Track|date=2 September 2019|access-date=2019-09-03}}

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• {{Commons category-inline|Boselaphus tragocamelus}}
• {{Wikispecies-inline|Boselaphus tragocamelus}}

{{Artiodactyla|R.4}}

{{portalbar|Mammals|Animals|Biology|India}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q200444}}

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Category:Boselaphini

Category:Fauna of South Asia

Category:Mammals of Nepal

Category:Mammals of Bangladesh

Category:Mammals of India

Category:Mammals of Pakistan

Category:Mammals described in 1766

Category:Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas