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News: A recent report highlighted the blackbuck’s dependence on grassland habitats and its importance as an indicator of grassland conservation.
About Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
- The Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is a medium-sized antelope.
- It is the sole living member of its genus Antilope.
- Recognition: The blackbuck is the state animal of Punjab, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.
- Habitat: It mainly lives in open grasslands, dry scrub areas and thinly forested areas.
- Distribution: It is mainly found in India and Nepal.
- It is extinct in the wild in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
- Key Features:
- Physical Appearance: Males have dark coats and long, spiralling horns, while females have lighter coats and usually lack horns.
- Speed and Vision: It has excellent eyesight and can run very fast to escape predators.
- Social Behaviour: It lives in herds, usually consisting of 5 to 50 individuals.
- Breeding Behaviour: During the mating season, males establish display territories called leks to attract females.
- Grassland Indicator: It is a key indicator of the importance of grasslands for supporting grassland species.
- Threats: Habitat loss due to agriculture, infrastructure projects and invasive plants is a major threat.
- Feral dogs also kill blackbucks.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN status : Least Concern.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
