The Nilgai
or Blue Bull Boselaphus tragocamelus
A
great ungainly animal: somewhat horse like in built, with high
withers and low rump.The adult bull has a coarse iron-grey coat,
a white ring below each fetlock and two white spots on each
cheek. His lips, chin, the inside of the two ears, and the under
surface of his tail are white. Young bulls and the cows are
tawny. Both sexes have dark manes and the males wear a distinctive
tuft of stiff black hairs on the throat. The bulls have stout
cone like horns.
They
are distinctly keeled, triangular at the base and circular towards
the tips. Its found only in Indian peninsula from the base of
Himalayas to Mysore Males are usually 130 to 140 CMS high may
reach unto 150 CMS. Females much smaller. Horns average of 20
CMS. The maximum record is 29.8 CMS.
Nilgai avoid dense forest. Their usual haunts are hill sparsely
dotted hills. They freely enter cultivation and are a source
of damage to crops. They feed till late in the morning, and
again early in the evening, caring little about the sun, seeking
the shade only during the hottest hours of the day. They both
graze and browse. The freshly fallen flowers Mahwa (madhuca
indica) tree attract Nilgai. It can do for a long period with
out water and during the hot weather do not drink regularly.
Smell and sight are good in these animals, hearing moderately
developed. Nilgai like other antelope have the habit of resorting
to the same spot to deposit their droppings so as to reassemble
scattered members of a heard. They usually form a heard of four
to ten members and some time more than that. The young are produced
at all seasons. The period of gestation is 8 to 9 months. The
female attains sexual maturity at the age of 25 months. In many
parts of India they enjoy complete immunity being regarded as
a near relative of cow and there fore sacred.
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