{{Short description|Antelope native to India and Nepal}} {{Redirect|Black buck|other uses|Blackbuck (disambiguation)}} {{Good article}} {{Speciesbox | name = Blackbuck | image = Blackbuck male female.jpg | image_caption = Male and two females | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Antilope cervicapra'' |author=IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group |date=2017 |article-number=e.T1681A50181949 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T1681A50181949.en |access-date=17 January 2024}}</ref> | status2 = CITES_A3 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = <ref name=CITES>{{cite Species+ |id=4985 |title=''Antilope cervicapra'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> | taxon = Antilope cervicapra | parent_authority = | authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | range_map = Antilope cervicapra map.png | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = * ''A. c. cervicapra'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> * ''A. c. rajputanae'' <small>Zukowsky, 1927</small> | synonyms = {{Specieslist |Cervicapra|Sparrman, 1780 |Antilope bezoartica|Gray, 1850 |Capra cervicapra|Linnaeus, 1758 }} }}
The '''blackbuck''' ('''''Antilope cervicapra'''''), also known as the '''Indian antelope''', is a medium-sized antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to {{cvt|74|to|84|cm}} high at the shoulder. Males weigh {{cvt|20|-|57|kg}}, with an average of {{cvt|38|kg}}. Females are lighter, weighing {{cvt|20|-|33|kg}} or {{cvt|27|kg}} on average. Males have {{cvt|35|-|75|cm}} long corkscrew horns, and females occasionally develop horns, as well. The white fur on the chin and around the eyes is in sharp contrast with the black stripes on the face. Both sexes' coats feature a two-tone colouration; in males, the majority of the body is dark brown to black, with white circles around the eyes, white ears and tail, and the belly, lower jaw, and inner legs also white. Females and juveniles are yellowish-fawn to tan and display the same white areas, only with more of a beige tone than the males. Females also feature a more pronounced horizontal white side-stripe, starting around the shoulder and ending at the rump. The blackbuck is the sole living member of the genus ''Antilope'' and was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized.
The blackbuck is active mainly during the day. It forms three types of small groups: female, male, and young bachelor herds. Males often adopt lekking as a strategy to garner females for mating. While other males are not allowed into these territories, females often visit these places to forage. The male can thus attempt mating with her. The blackbuck is an herbivore and grazes on low grasses, occasionally browsing as well. Females become sexually mature at the age of eight months, but mate no earlier than two years of age. Males mature later, at 1.5 years. Mating takes place throughout the year. Gestation is typically six months long, after which a single calf is born. The lifespan is typically 10 to 15 years.
The antelope is native to and occurs mainly in India, while it is locally extinct in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was formerly widespread; today small and scattered herds are largely confined to protected areas. During the 20th century, blackbuck numbers declined sharply due to excessive hunting, deforestation, and habitat destruction.
The blackbuck has been introduced in Argentina, Australia and the United States, primarily on hunting ranches. In Argentina, the population is surviving well. In India, hunting of blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The blackbuck has significance in Hinduism; Indian and Nepali villagers do not harm the antelope.
==Etymology== The scientific name of the blackbuck ''Antilope cervicapra'' stems from the Latin word ''antalopus'' ("horned animal").<ref name=palmer/><ref>{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|Antilope|access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref> The specific name ''cervicapra'' is composed of the Latin words ''cervus'' ("deer") and ''capra'' ("she-goat").<ref name=palmer>{{cite book |last1=Palmer |first1=T.S. |last2=Merriam |first2=C.H. |date=1904 |title=Index Generum Mammalium: A List of the Genera and Families of Mammals |url=https://archive.org/details/indexgenerummamm23palm/page/n123 |publisher=Government Printing Office |location=Washington, US |pages=114, 163}}</ref><ref>{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|Cervicapra|access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref> The vernacular name "blackbuck" is a reference to the dark brown to black colour of the dorsal part of the coat of the males.<ref name=mares>{{cite book |last1=Mares |first1=M.A. |title=Encyclopedia of Deserts |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediadese00mare |url-access=limited |date=1999 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman, Oklahoma (US) |isbn=978-0-585-19478-3 |page=78}}</ref> The earliest recorded use of this name dates back to 1850.<ref>{{MerriamWebsterDictionary|Blackbuck|access-date=11 March 2016}}</ref>
==Taxonomy and evolution== The blackbuck is the sole living member of the genus ''Antilope'' and is classified in the family Bovidae. The species was described and given its binomial name by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'' in 1758.<ref name=blanford>{{cite book |last1=Blanford |first1=W.T. |title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma |date=1891 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |location=London |pages=521−524 |chapter=''Antilope cervicapra''. The Indian Antelope or black Buck |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalia00blan#page/520/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name=Nowak1999>{{cite book |last1=Nowak |first1=R. M. |title=Walker's Mammals of the World |url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0002nowa |url-access=registration |date=1999 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore, Maryland |isbn=978-0-8018-5789-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0002nowa/page/1193 1193–4] |edition=6th}}</ref> ''Antilope'' also includes fossil species, such as ''Antilope subtorta'' and ''Antilope intermedia''.<ref name=khan>{{cite journal |last1=Khan |first1=M.A. |last2=Akhtar |first2=M. |title=Antelopes (Mammalia, Ruminantia, Bovidae) from the Upper Siwaliks of Tatrot, Pakistan, with description of a new species |journal=Paleontological Journal |date=2014 |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=79–89 |doi=10.1134/S0031030114010055 |bibcode=2014PalJ...48...79K |s2cid=84227895 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263526601}}</ref>
''Antilope'', ''Eudorcas'', ''Gazella'', and ''Nanger'' form a clade within their tribe Antilopini. A 1995 study of the detailed karyotype of ''Antilope'' suggested that within this clade, ''Antilope'' is closest to the ''Gazella'' group.<ref name=vassart>{{cite journal |last1=Vassart |first1=M. |last2=Seguela |first2=A. |last3=Hayes |first3=H. |title=Chromosomal evolution in gazelles |journal=Journal of Heredity |date=1995 |volume=86 |issue=3 |pages=216–27 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a111565 |pmid=7608514}}</ref> A 1999 phylogenetic analysis confirmed that ''Antilope'' is the closest sister taxon to ''Gazella'',<ref name=rebholz>{{cite journal |last1=Rebholz |first1=W. |last2=Harley |first2=E. |title=Phylogenetic relationships in the bovid subfamily Antilopinae based on mitochondrial DNA sequences |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=1999 |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=87–94 |doi=10.1006/mpev.1998.0586 |pmid=10381312|bibcode=1999MolPE..12...87R }}</ref> although an earlier phylogeny, proposed in 1976, placed ''Antilope'' as sister to ''Nanger''.<ref name=effron>{{cite journal |last1=Effron |first1=M. |last2=Bogart |first2=M. H. |last3=Kumamoto |first3=A. T. |last4=Benirschke |first4=K. |title=Chromosome studies in the mammalian subfamily Antilopinae |journal=Genetica |date=1976 |volume=46 |issue=4 |pages=419–44 |doi=10.1007/BF00128089 |s2cid=23227689}}</ref> In a more recent revision of the phylogeny of the Antilopini on the basis of sequences from multiple nuclear and mitochondrial loci in 2013, Eva Verena Bärmann (of the University of Cambridge) and colleagues re-examined the phylogenetic relationships and found ''Antilope'' and ''Gazella'' to be sister genera distinct from the sister genera ''Nanger'' and ''Eudorcas''.<ref name=barmann>{{cite journal |last1=Bärmann |first1=E.V. |last2=Rössner |first2=G.E. |last3=Wörheide |first3=G. |title=A revised phylogeny of Antilopini (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) using combined mitochondrial and nuclear genes |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=2013 |volume=67 |issue=2 |pages=484–93 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2013.02.015 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236042243 |pmid=23485920|bibcode=2013MolPE..67..484B }}</ref><ref name=vn>{{cite book |editor1-last=Considine |editor1-first=G.D. |editor2-last=Kulik |editor2-first=P.H. |title=Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia |date=2008 |publisher=Wiley-Interscience |location=Hoboken, New Jersey (US) |isbn=978-0-471-74398-9 |page=183 |edition=10th |url=https://archive.org/details/vannostrandscien00gdco/page/n197 |url-access=limited}}</ref>
{{clade | style=font-size:90%;line-height:100%;width:300px; |1={{clade |1={{clade |label1=''Gazella'' |1={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=Cuvier's gazelle |2=Rhim gazelle }} |2=Sand gazelle }} |2={{clade |1=Chinkara |2=Goitered gazelle }} }} |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Mountain gazelle |2=Speke's gazelle }} |2=Dorcas gazelle }} }} |label2='''''Antilope''''' |2='''Blackbuck''' }} }} Two subspecies are recognised,<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Artiodactyla |heading =Species ''Antilope cervicapra'' |page=678 |id=14200535}}</ref><ref name=groves1/> although they might be independent species:<ref name=groves>{{cite book |last1=Groves |first1=C. |last2=Grubb |first2=P. |title=Ungulate Taxonomy |date=2011 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |location=Baltimore, Maryland (US) |isbn=978-1-4214-0093-8}}</ref> * ''A. c. cervicapra'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>, known as the southeastern blackbuck, occurs in southern, eastern, and central India. The white eye ring of the male is narrow above the eye and the neck is all black in the male and the white on the underside is largely restricted to the belly in both males and females. The black leg stripe is well defined and reaches all along the leg. * ''A. c. rajputanae'' (<small>Zukowsky, 1927)</small>, known as the northwestern blackbuck, occurs in northwestern India. Males have a grey sheen to the dark parts during the breeding season. The white on the underside extends up to half way on the sides of the body and the lower base of the neck of males is white. The white eye ring is broad all around the eye with the leg-stripe going only down to the shanks.
==Genetics== The blackbuck shows variation in its diploid chromosome number. Males have 31–33, while females have 30–32. Males have an XY1Y2 sex chromosome.<ref name=groves/><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sontakke |first1=S.D. |last2=Kandukuri |first2=L.R. |last3=Umapathy |first3=G. |last4=Kulashekaran |first4=K.M. |last5=Venkata |first5=P.O. |last6=Shivaji |first6=S. |last7=Singh |first7=L. |title=The 34,XY 1 ,der(13) Chromosome Constitution with Loss of Y 2 Is Associated with Unilateral Testicular Hypoplasia in the Endangered Indian Blackbuck Antelope (Antilope cervicapra) |journal=Sexual Development |volume=6 |issue=5 |pages=240–246 |doi=10.1159/000339898 |pmid=22846804 |year=2012 |s2cid=27843494}}</ref> Unusually large sex chromosomes had earlier been described only in a few species, all of which belonged to Rodentia. However, in 1968, a study found that two artiodactyls, the blackbuck and the sitatunga, too, showed this abnormality. Generally, the X chromosome constitutes 5% of the haploid chromosomal complement, but the X chromosome of the blackbuck this percentage is 14.96. Portions of both peculiarly large chromosomes show delayed replication.<ref name=wurster>{{cite journal |last1=Wurster |first1=D.H. |last2=Benirschke |first2=K. |last3=Noelke |first3=H. |title=Unusually large sex chromosomes in the sitatunga (''Tragelaphus spekei'') and the blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra'') |journal=Chromosoma |date=February 1968 |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=317–23 |doi=10.1007/BF02451003 |pmid=5658170 |s2cid=20620389}}</ref>
A 1997 study found lower variation in blood protein polymorphism in ''Antilope'' in comparison with ''Antidorcas'', ''Eudorcas'', and ''Gazella''. This was attributed to a history of rapid evolution of an autapomorphic phenotype of ''Antilope''. This might have been aided by a particularly strong selection of a few dominant males due to their lekking behaviour.<ref name=schreiber>{{cite journal |last1=Schreiber |first1=A. |last2=Fakler |first2=P. |last3=Osterballe |first3=R. |title=Blood protein variation in blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), a lekking gazelle |journal=Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde |date=1997 |volume=62 |issue=4 |pages=239–49}}</ref>
==Characteristics== thumb|Male blackbuck The blackbuck has white fur on the chin and around the eyes, which is in sharp contrast with the black stripes on the face. The coats of males show two-tone colouration; while the upper parts and outsides of the legs are dark brown to black, the underparts and the insides of the legs are all white. Darkness typically increases as the male ages; females and juveniles are yellowish fawn to tan.<ref name=deal>{{cite book |last1=Deal |first1=K.H. |title=Wildlife and Natural Resource Management |date=2011 |publisher=Delmar Cengage Learning |location=Clifton Park, New York (US) |isbn=978-1-4354-5397-5 |page=156 |edition=Third}}</ref> In Texas, blackbuck moult in spring, following which the males look notably lighter, though darkness persists on the face and the legs.<ref name=texas>{{cite book |last1=Schmidly |first1=D.J. |title=Mammals of Texas |date=2004 |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin, Texas (US) |isbn=978-1-4773-0886-8 |page=293 |edition=Revised |url=http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/anticerv.htm |access-date=2016-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222082930/http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot1/anticerv.htm |archive-date=2015-02-22 }}</ref> On the contrary, males grow darker as the breeding season approaches.<ref name=deal/> Both melanism<ref>{{cite journal |year=1904 |title=Melanism in black buck |url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofbombayn16abomb#page/n425/mode/2up |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=16 |page=361 |author=Smith, J. M.}}</ref> and albinism have been observed in wild blackbuck. Albino blackbuck are often zoo attractions as in the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ganguly |first1=N. |title=Albino black buck attracts visitors to zoo |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/albino-black-buck-attracts-visitors-to-zoo/article1294005.ece |access-date=11 March 2016 |work=The Hindu |date=11 July 2008|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20200802044406/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Albino-black-buck-attracts-visitors-to-zoo/article15258444.ece|archive-date=2020-08-02}}</ref>
The blackbuck is a moderately sized antelope. It stands up to {{cvt|74|to|84|cm}} high at the shoulder; the head-to-body length is nearly {{cvt|120|cm}}.<ref name=Nowak1999/> In the population introduced to Texas, males weigh {{cvt|20|-|57|kg}}, an average of {{cvt|38|kg}}. Females are lighter, weighing {{cvt|20|-|33|kg}} or {{cvt|27|kg}} on average.<ref name=texas/> Sexual dimorphism is prominent, as males are heavier and darker than the females.<ref name=texas/> The long, ringed horns, that resemble corkscrews, are generally present only on males, though females may also develop horns. They measure {{cvt|35|-|75|cm}}, though the maximum horn length recorded in Texas has not exceeded {{cvt|58|cm}}. The horns diverge forming a "V"-like shape.<ref name=texas/> In India, horns are longer and more divergent in specimens from the northern and western parts of the country.<ref name=groves1>{{cite journal |last1=Groves |first1=C. |title=A note on geographic variation in the Indian blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra'') |journal=Records of the Zoological Survey of India |date=1980 |volume=76 |pages=125–138 |doi=10.26515/rzsi/v76/i1-4/1980/161869 |url=http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/records/076/01-04/0125-0138.pdf |access-date=2015-10-01 |archive-date=2016-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312002230/http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/records/076/01-04/0125-0138.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
Blackbuck bear a close resemblance to gazelles, and are distinguished mainly by the fact that while gazelles are brown in the dorsal parts, blackbuck develop a dark brown or black colour in these parts.<ref name=mares/>
==Distribution and habitat == thumb|Blackbucks in Rehekuri Blackbuck Sanctuary The blackbuck is native to the Indian subcontinent and inhabits grassy plains and thinly forested areas where perennial water sources are available for its daily need to drink. Herds travel long distances to obtain water.<ref name=iucn/> The British naturalist William Thomas Blanford described the range of the blackbuck in his 1891 ''The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma'' as:<ref name=blanford/> {{blockquote|India from the base of the Himalayas to the neighbourhood of Cape Comorin (the southernmost locality known to me is Point Calimere), and from the Punjab to Lower Assam, in open plains, not in Ceylon nor east of the Bay of Bengal. Not found on hills nor in thickly wooded tracts, and wanting throughout the Malabar coast south of the neighbourhood of Surat. The statement that this antelope is not found in Lower Bengal is not quite correct; none are found in the swampy Gangetic delta, but many exist on the plains near the coast in Midnapore (I have shot them near Contai), as they also do in Orissa. Antelopes are most abundant in the North-west Provinces, Rajputana, and parts of the Deccan, but are locally distributed and keep to particular tracts.}} Today, small, scattered herds are largely confined to protected areas.<ref name=iucn/>
In southern Nepal, the last surviving blackbuck population in Blackbuck Conservation Area was estimated to comprise 184 individuals in 2008.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bhatta |first1=S.R. |title=People and blackbuck: Current management challenges and opportunities |journal=The Initiation |date=2008 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=17–21 |doi=10.3126/init.v2i1.2514 |doi-access=free}}</ref> A few blackbucks are present in the Indian Institute of Technology Madras campus.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://home.iitm.ac.in/prakriti/prakriti/blackbucks1.html |title=Black Buck IITM campus |access-date=2018-04-11 |archive-date=2018-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412001142/https://home.iitm.ac.in/prakriti/prakriti/blackbucks1.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
The blackbuck is considered locally extinct in Pakistan and Bangladesh.<ref name=iucn/>
=== Introduced populations === [[File:Lal Suhanra Bahawalpur.JPG|thumb|Blackbuck kept in Lal Suhanra National Park, Pakistan, to be reintroduced]] The blackbuck was also introduced into Argentina, numbering about 8,600 individuals as of the early 2000s.<ref name=Mallon2001/>
In the early 1900s, blackbuck were introduced to Western Australia.<ref name=qld/> In either the late 1980s or the early 1990s, they were also introduced to Cape York in Far North Queensland, although the population was subsequently eradicated.<ref name=qld>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2016-04-18 |title=Blackbuck antelope |url=https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/biosecurity/animals/invasive/restricted/blackbuck-antelope |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=www.business.qld.gov.au |language=en-AU}}</ref> In 2013, an antelope that appeared to be a blackbuck was sighted at Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Antelope sightings in Kakadu - ABC (none) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/08/14/3825580.htm |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=www.abc.net.au}}{{Dead link|date=May 2026}}</ref> In 2015, a blackbuck was sighted near Warrnambool, Victoria, which was later captured and sent to Mansfield Zoo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-08-25 |title=Blackbuck captured in South West |url=https://www.stockjournal.com.au/story/3554510/blackbuck-captured-in-south-west/ |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Stock Journal |language=en-AU}}</ref> The blackbuck is a declared pest in Queensland<ref name=qld/> and Western Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Antilope cervicapra |url=https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/organisms/79033 |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=www.agric.wa.gov.au |language=en}}</ref> In Victoria, blackbuck and American bison are considered both "regulated pest animals" and livestock.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-08-01 |title=Interstate livestock movements - Agriculture |url=https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/moving-livestock-and-animals/interstate-livestock-movements |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=Agriculture Victoria |language=en-AU}}</ref>
The antelope was introduced in Texas in the Edwards Plateau in 1932. By 1988, the population had increased and the antelope was the most populous exotic animal in Texas after the chital.<ref name=texas/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rejmánek |first1=M. |editor1-last=Simberloff |editor1-first=D. |title=Encyclopedia of Biological Invasions |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediabiol00simb |url-access=limited |date=2011 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |isbn=978-0-520-26421-2 |page=267}}</ref>
== Ecology and behaviour == [[File:Blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra) (19726308174).jpg|thumb|Blackbuck herd in Gujarat]] The blackbuck is a diurnal antelope, though is less active at noon when summer temperatures rise. It can run at a speed of {{cvt|80|km/h|mph}}.<ref name=Nowak1999/>
Group size fluctuates and seems to depend on the availability of forage and the nature of the habitat. Large herds have an edge over smaller ones in that danger can be detected faster, though individual vigilance is lower in the former. Large herds spend more time feeding than small herds. A disadvantage for large herds, however, is that traveling requires more resources.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Isvaran |first1=K. |title=Intraspecific variation in group size in the blackbuck antelope: the roles of habitat structure and forage at different spatial scales |journal=Oecologia |date=2007 |volume=154 |issue=2 |pages=435–444 |doi=10.1007/s00442-007-0840-x |pmid=17786484 |bibcode=2007Oecol.154..435I |s2cid=22424425}}</ref> Herd size reduces in summer.<ref name=vats/>
Males often adopt lekking as a strategy on the part of males to garner females for mating. Territories are established by males on the basis of the local distribution of female groups, which in turn is determined by the habitat, so as to ensure greater access to females.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Isvaran |first1=K. |title=Female grouping best predicts lekking in blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra'') |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |date=2004 |volume=57 |issue=3 |pages=283–294 |doi=10.1007/s00265-004-0844-z |s2cid=32511584}}</ref> The males actively defend resources in their territories, nearly {{convert|1.2|to|12|ha|acre+sqmi}} in size;<ref name=texas/> territories are marked with scent using preorbital gland and interdigital gland secretions, faeces and urine.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rajagopal |first1=T. |last2=Manimozhi |first2=A. |last3=Archunan |first3=G. |title=Diurnal variation in preorbital gland scent marking behaviour of captive male Indian Blackbuck (''Antelope cervicapra'' L.) and its territorial significance |journal=Biological Rhythm Research |date=2011 |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=27–38 |doi=10.1080/09291011003693161 |bibcode=2011BioRR..42...27R |s2cid=84513333 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |name-list-style=amp |last1=Rajagopal |first1=T. |last2=Archunan |first2=G. |title=Scent marking by Indian blackbuck: Characteristics and spatial distribution of urine, pellet, preorbital and interdigital gland marking in captivity |journal=Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation: Proceedings of the "National Seminar on Wildlife Biodiversity Conservation", 13 to 15 October 2006, A Seminar Conducted During the "bi-decennial Celebrations" of Pondicherry University |date=2006 |pages=71–80}}</ref> While other males are not allowed into these territories, females are allowed to visit these places to forage. The male can attempt mating with visiting females. Lekking is a demanding strategy, as the males often have to bear injuries – thus it is a tactic typically adopted by strong, dominant males. Males may either defend their mates or try to forcibly copulate with them. Weaker males, who may not be dominant, might choose the second method.<ref name="lek">{{cite journal |last1=Isvaran |first1=K. |author2-link=Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala |last2=Jhala |first2=Y.V. |name-list-style=amp |title=Variation in lekking costs in blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''): Relationship to lek-territory location and female mating patterns |journal=Behaviour |date=2000 |volume=137 |issue=5 |pages=547–563 |doi=10.1163/156853900502204 |url=http://www.iisc.ernet.in/~currsci/oct102005/1192.pdf |access-date=2016-03-11 |archive-date=2016-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311130948/http://www.iisc.ernet.in/~currsci/oct102005/1192.pdf }}</ref>
The blackbuck is severely affected by natural calamities such as floods and droughts, from which it can take as long as five years to recover.<ref name=jhala2/> The wolf is a major predator.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jhala |first1=Y.V. |title=Predation on blackbuck by wolves in Velavadar National Park, Gujarat, India |journal=Conservation Biology |year=1993 |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=874–881 |doi=10.1046/j.1523-1739.1993.740874.x|bibcode=1993ConBi...7..874J }}</ref> Old rutting bulls might be especially vulnerable prey.<ref name="jhala2">{{cite book |last1=Jhala |first1=Y.V. |title=Habitat and population dynamics of wolves and blackbuck in Velavadar National Park, Gujarat |publisher=Ph.D. dissertation |year=1991}}</ref> The golden jackal hunts juveniles. Village dogs are reported to kill fawns, but are unlikely to successfully hunt and kill adults.<ref name=Ranjitsinh1989>{{cite book |author=Ranjitsinh, M. K. |date=1989 |title=The Indian Blackbuck |publisher=Natraj Publishers |location=Dehradun}}</ref>
Blackbucks in Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary show flexible habitat use as the resources and risks change seasonally in the landscape. They use small patches in the area of about {{convert|3|km2|abbr=on}}. Human activities strongly influenced the movement of herds, but the presence of small refuges allowed them to persist in the landscape.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Krishna |first1=Y. C. |last2=Kumar |first2=A. |last3=Isvaran |first3=K. |name-list-style=amp |date=2016 |title=Wild Ungulate Decision-Making and the Role of Tiny Refuges in Human-Dominated Landscapes |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=11 |issue=3 |article-number=e0151748 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0151748 |pmid=26985668 |pmc=4795686 |bibcode=2016PLoSO..1151748K |doi-access=free}}</ref>
===Diet=== thumb|Blackbuck prefer grass The blackbuck is a herbivore and grazes on low grasses, occasionally browsing as well. It prefers sedges, fall witchgrass, mesquite, and live oak and was occasionally observed browsing on acacia trees in the Cholistan Desert.<ref name=Mallon2001/> Oats and berseem were found to be palatable and nutritious to captive populations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pathak |first1=N.N. |last2=Kewalramani |first2=N. |last3=Kamra |name-list-style=amp |first3=D.N. |title=Intake and digestibility of oats (''Avena sativa'') and berseem (''Trifolium alexandrinum'') in adult blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra'') |journal=Small Ruminant Research |date=1992 |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=265–268 |doi=10.1016/0921-4488(92)90047-8}}</ref> In Velavadar Black Buck Sanctuary, ''Dichanthium annulatum'' comprised 35% of the diet. Digestion of nutrients, especially crude proteins, was poor in summer, but more efficient in the rainy and winter seasons. Crude protein intake in summer was very low, even below the recommended value. Blackbuck consumed less food in summer than in winter, and often foraged on the fruits of ''Prosopis juliflora''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jadeja |first1=S. |last2=Prasad |first2=S. |last3=Quader |first3=S. |last4=Isvaran |first4=K. |year=2013 |title=Antelope mating strategies facilitate invasion of grasslands by a woody weed |journal=Oikos |volume=122 |issue=10 |pages=1441–1452 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00320.x |bibcode=2013Oikos.122.1441J |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1540&context=bioscifacpub |access-date=2019-12-12 |archive-date=2021-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025175957/https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1540&context=bioscifacpub |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> ''Prosopis'' becomes a significant food item if grasses are scarce.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jhala |first1=Y.V. |title=Seasonal effects on the nutritional ecology of blackbuck ''Antilope cervicapra'' |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |year=1997 |volume=34 |issue=6 |pages=1348–1358 |jstor=2405252 |doi=10.2307/2405252|bibcode=1997JApEc..34.1348J }}</ref> Water is a daily requirement of the blackbuck.<ref name=iucn />
===Reproduction=== {{image frame|width=220|align=right|border=no|caption=Courtship display and copulation of blackbuck |content= {{CSS image crop |Image = CourtshipDisplay.jpg |bSize = 440 |cWidth = 220 |cHeight = 130 |oTop = 110 |oLeft = 100}} {{CSS image crop |Image = Akshay_Onkar_Blackbuck_pohara_forest,_amravati,_Maharashtra,_India.jpg |bSize = 540 |cWidth = 220 |cHeight = 210 |oTop = 50 |oLeft = 160}}}} Females become sexually mature at the age of eight months, but mate no earlier than two years. Males mature at the age of one-and-a-half years. Mating takes place throughout the year; peaks occur during spring and fall in Texas.<ref name=texas/> Two peaks have been observed in India: from August to October and from March to April.<ref name="vats">{{cite journal |last1=Vats |first1=R. |last2=Bhardwaj |first2=C.S. |name-list-style=amp |title=A study of reproductive behaviour of Indian black buck (''Antilope cervicapra'') Linn. with reference to courtship, breeding, fawning and colouration |journal=Current World Environment |year=2009 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=121–125 |doi=10.12944/CWE.4.1.18 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Rutting males aggressively establish and defend their territories from other males, giving out loud grunts and engaging in serious head-to-head fights, pushing each other using horns.<ref name=Nowak1999/> Aggressive display consists of thrusting the neck forward and raising it, folding the ears and raising the tail. The dominant male pursues the female with his nose pointing upward, smells her urine and shows a flehmen response. The female shows her receptivity by waving her tail and thumping the hindlegs on the ground. This is followed by several mounting attempts, and copulation. The whole process may last as long as six hours. The female will remain still for some time after copulation, following which she may start grazing. The male may then move on to mate with another female.<ref name=vats/><ref>{{cite journal |name-list-style=amp |last1=Archunan |first1=G. |last2=Rajagopal |first2=T. |title=Detection of estrus in Indian blackbuck: Behavioural, hormonal and urinary volatiles evaluation |journal=General and Comparative Endocrinology |year=2013 |volume=181 |pages=156–166 |doi=10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.11.012 |pmid=23229002}}</ref>
Gestation typically lasts six months,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Holt |first1=W. V. |last2=Moore |first2=H. D. M. |name-list-style=amp |last3=North |first3=R. D. |last4=Hartman |first4=T. D. |last5=Hodges |first5=J. K. |title=Hormonal and behavioural detection of oestrus in blackbuck, ''Antilope cervicapra'', and successful artificial insemination with fresh and frozen semen |journal=Reproduction |date=1988 |volume=82 |issue=2 |pages=717–725 |doi=10.1530/jrf.0.0820717 |pmid=3361506 |doi-access=free}}</ref> after which a single calf is born.<ref name=texas/> Newborns are a light yellow; infant males may have a black patch on the head and the neck.<ref name=vats/> Young are precocial, they can stand on their own soon after birth.<ref name=Nowak1999/> Females can mate again after a month of parturition.<ref name=texas/> Juveniles remain active and playful throughout the day. Juvenile males turn black gradually, darkening notably after the third year.<ref name=vats/> The lifespan is typically 10 to 15 years.<ref name=mares/><ref name=texas/>
==Threats== thumb|upright|Blackbuck carved on temple pillar at Lepakshi (16th century) During the 20th century, blackbuck numbers declined sharply due to excessive hunting, deforestation and habitat degradation. Some blackbucks are killed illegally especially where the species is sympatric with nilgai.<ref name=iucn />
Until India's independence in 1947, blackbuck and chinkara were hunted in many princely states with specially trained captive Asiatic cheetahs. By the 1970s, blackbuck was locally extinct in several areas.<ref>{{cite news |title=Black bucks of Abohar |last1=Luna |first1=R. K. |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020525/windows/main3.htm |work=The Tribune |year=2002 |access-date=2007-08-24 |archive-date=2007-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930055418/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020525/windows/main3.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Conservation== The blackbuck is listed under Appendix III of CITES.<ref name=CITES/><ref name=MSW3/> In India, hunting of blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.<ref name=krishna/><ref>{{cite web |title=Schedule I - Wildlife Protection Act |url=http://www.moef.nic.in/legis/wildlife/wildlife2s1.pdf |website=moef.nic.in |publisher=Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India |access-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218144211/http://www.moef.nic.in/legis/wildlife/wildlife2s1.pdf |archive-date=18 February 2015 }}</ref> It inhabits several protected areas of India, including * in Gujarat: Velavadar National Park,<ref name=iucn /><ref name="Mallon2001">{{cite book |last1=Mallon |first1=D.P. |last2=Kingswood |first2=S.C. |last3=East |first3=R. |title=Antelopes: Global Survey and Regional Action Plans |year=2001 |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) |location=Gland, Switzerland |isbn=978-2-8317-0594-1 |page=184}}</ref> Gir Forest National Park;<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/lab/cons-lab/documents/Singh_Gibson_Biol_Cons_2011.pdf |title=A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (''Panthera leo persica'') of Gir forest |last1=Singh |first1=H. S. |last2=Gibson |first2=L. |year=2011 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=144 |issue=5 |pages=1753–7 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009 |bibcode=2011BCons.144.1753S |access-date=2013-08-25 |archive-date=2012-07-14 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20120714175208/http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/lab/cons-lab/documents/Singh_Gibson_Biol_Cons_2011.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> *in Bihar: Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary; *in Maharashtra: Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary; *in Madhya Pradesh: Kanha National Park<ref>{{cite web |title=MP's Kanha park gets its blackbucks back |date=19 January 2017 |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-mp-s-kanha-park-gets-its-blackbucks-back-2293890 |access-date=5 December 2018 |archive-date=6 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206001724/https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-mp-s-kanha-park-gets-its-blackbucks-back-2293890 |url-status=live }}</ref> *in Rajasthan: Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, National Chambal Sanctuary, Ranthambhore National Park<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Bagchi, S. |author2=Goyal, S. P. |author3=Sankar, K. |year=2003 |title=Habitat separation among ungulates in dry tropical forests of Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan |journal=Tropical Ecology |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=175–182 |citeseerx=10.1.1.547.4828}}</ref> *in Karnataka: Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary; *in Tamil Nadu: Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary,<ref name=iucn /> Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary,<ref name="Joseph-2011">{{cite news |last1=Joseph |first1=P.P. |title=Steps taken to save blackbucks |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/steps-taken-to-save-blackbucks/article1037275.ece |access-date=11 March 2016 |work=The Hindu |year=2011|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20200801232139/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Steps-taken-to-save-blackbucks/article15508369.ece|archive-date=2020-08-01}}</ref> Guindy National Park. *in Punjab: Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary<ref name="Joseph-2011" /> A captive population is maintained in Pakistan's Lal Suhanra National Park.<ref name=Mallon2001/>
==In culture== [[File:Akbar Hunting Black Buck-Akbarnama.jpg|thumbnail|Akbar hunting blackbuck (''Akbarnama'', c.1590––5)]] The blackbuck has associations with the Indian culture. The antelope might have been a source of food in the Indus Valley civilisation (3300–1700 BCE); bone remains have been discovered in sites such as Dholavira<ref>{{cite book |last1=McIntosh |first1=J. R. |title=The Ancient Indus Valley: New Perspectives |year=2008 |publisher=ABC-Clio |location=Santa Barbara, California (US) |isbn=978-1-57607-907-2 |page=139 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&pg=PA139 |access-date=2023-02-21 |archive-date=2020-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727114031/https://books.google.com/books?id=1AJO2A-CbccC&pg=PA139 |url-status=live}}</ref> and Mehrgarh.<ref>{{cite book |last1=van der Geer |first1=A. |title=Animals in Stone: Indian Mammals Sculptured through Time |year=2008 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden, Netherlands |isbn=978-90-474-4356-8 |pages=55–6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fs36CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |access-date=2023-02-21 |archive-date=2020-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727111547/https://books.google.com/books?id=fs36CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA55 |url-status=live}}</ref> The blackbuck is routinely depicted in miniature paintings of the Mughal era of 16th to 19th centuries depicting royal hunts often using cheetahs.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hughes |first1=J.E. |title=Animal Kingdoms: Hunting, the Environment, and Power in the Indian Princely States |date=2013 |publisher=Harvard University Press |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts (US) |isbn=978-0-674-07280-0 |pages=151–154 |edition=First}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Welch |first1=S.C. |title=The Emperors' Album: Images of Mughal India |year=1987 |publisher=Abrams |location=New York, US |isbn=978-0-8109-0886-4 |page=185}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Topsfield |first1=A. |title=Paintings from Mughal India |year=2013 |publisher=University of Oxford Press |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-1-85124-087-6 |page=45 |edition=New}}</ref> Villagers in India and Nepal generally do not harm the blackbuck.<ref name=dinerstein>{{cite book |last1=Dinerstein |first1=E. |title=Discovering Big Cat Country: On the Trail of Tigers and Snow Leopards |year=2013 |publisher=Island Press |location=Washington, US |isbn=978-1-61091-479-6}}</ref> Tribes such as the Bishnois revere and care for most animals including the blackbuck.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DF_af8_547EC&q=Blackbuck |quote=The determined protests of the Bishnois, who claimed to have caught the actor red-handed and on whose land the hunting had taken place, resulted in his arrest and trial. |title=Sacred Animals of Krishna |author=Krishna, N. |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-81-8475-182-6 |year=2014}}</ref><ref name=geer/>
The blackbuck is mentioned in Sanskrit texts as the ''Kṛṣṇamṛga''.<ref name=krishna/> According to Hindu mythology, it draws the chariot of Lord Krishna.<ref name=dinerstein/> The blackbuck is considered to be the vehicle of the wind god Vayu, the divine drink Soma and the moon god Chandra.<ref name="krishna">{{cite book |last1=Krishna |first1=N. |title=Sacred Animals of India |date=2010 |publisher=Penguin Books India |location=New Delhi, India |isbn=978-0-14-306619-4}}</ref> In Tamil Nadu, the blackbuck is considered to be the vehicle of the Hindu goddess Korravai.<ref name=geer>{{cite book |last1=Van der Geer |first1=A. |title=Animals in Stone: Indian Mammals Sculptured through Time |url-access=limited |year=2008 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden, South Holland (Netherlands) |isbn=978-90-04-16819-0 |pages=57–58 |url=https://archive.org/details/animalsstoneindi00geer/page/n129}}</ref> In Rajasthan, the goddess Karni Mata is believed to protect the blackbuck.<ref name=geer/>
In the Yājñavalkya Smṛti, Sage Yagyavalkya is quoted stating "''in what country there is black antelope, in that Dharma must be known''", which is interpreted to mean that certain religious practices including sacrifices were not to be performed where blackbuck did not roam.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vidyarnava |first1=R.B.S.C. |title=The Sacred Books of the Hindus |year=1918 |publisher=Sudhnidra Nath Vasu |location=Allahabad |page=5 |url=https://archive.org/stream/yajnavalkyasmrit00yj/yajnavalkyasmrit00yj#page/4/mode/2up}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Goodall |editor1-first=D. |title=Hindu Scriptures |year=1996 |publisher=University of California |location=Berkeley (US) |isbn=978-0-520-20778-3 |page=295}}</ref>
The hide of the blackbuck is deemed to be sacred in Hinduism. According to the scriptures, it is to be sat upon only by Brahmin priests, sadhus and yogis, forest-dwellers and bhikshu mendicants.<ref name=geer/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Thapar |first1=V. |title=Land of the Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent |date=1997 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley (US) |isbn=978-0-520-21470-5 |page=172 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/landoftigernatur00thap/page/172}}</ref> Blackbuck meat is highly regarded in Texas.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bonnell |first1=J. |title=Jon Bonnell's Fine Texas Cuisine |date=2009 |publisher=Gibbs Smith |location=Layton, Utah (US) |isbn=978-1-4236-0523-2 |page=122 |edition=1st}}</ref> In an analysis, blackbuck milk was found to have 6.9% protein, 9.3% fat, and 4.3% lactose.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dill |first1=C. W. |last2=Tybor |first2=P. T. |last3=Mcgill |first3=R. |last4=Ramsey |first4=C. W. |title=Gross composition and fatty acid constitution of blackbuck antelope (''Antilope cervicapra'') milk |journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |year=1972 |volume=50 |issue=8 |pages=1127–1129 |doi=10.1139/z72-150 |pmid=5056105|bibcode=1972CaJZ...50.1127D}}</ref>
In some agricultural areas in northern India, the blackbuck are found in large numbers and raid crop fields.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jhala |first1=Y. V. |title=Damage to ''Sorghum'' crop by blackbuck |journal=International Journal of Pest Management |date=January 1993 |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=23–7 |doi=10.1080/09670879309371754}}</ref> However, the damage caused by blackbuck is far lower than that caused by the nilgai.<ref name=chauhan>{{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 |access-date=2016-03-11 |archive-date=2016-10-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005085715/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=vpc14 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chauhan |first1=N.P.S. |last2=Sawarkar |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 |year=1989 |volume=115 |issue=7 |pages=488–493}}</ref>
In 2018, Bollywood actor Salman Khan was sentenced to five years imprisonment for poaching a blackbuck in 1998.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/20-yrs-on-blackbuck-killing-verdict-live-updates/articleshow/63621241.cms |title=Blackbuck poaching case: Salman Khan gets 5-year jail term |date=5 April 2018 |work=The Economic Times |access-date=5 April 2018 |archive-date=5 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405075446/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/20-yrs-on-blackbuck-killing-verdict-live-updates/articleshow/63621241.cms |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Blackbuck as a heraldry symbol of some princely states of India |width=100 |height=100 |align=center |File:Barwani State coat of arms.png|Barwani coat of arms |File:Jaisalmer State CoA.png|Jaisalmer coat of arms |File:Jaora CoA.png|Jaora coat of arms |File:Malerkotla State CoA.png|Malerkotla coat of arms |File:Nawanagar State-coa.png|Nawanagar coat of arms |File:Radhanpur State-CoA392.jpg|Radhanpur coat of arms |File:Samthar State CoA.png|Samthar coat of arms }}
==See also== *Barasingha *Sambar deer
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Commons category-inline|Antilope cervicapra|Antilope cervicapra}} *{{Wikispecies-inline|Antilope cervicapra}} *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/3017.shtml BBC Nature: Blackbuck]
{{Artiodactyla|R.5}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q183339}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Antilopini Category:Antelopes of Asia Category:Mammals of India Category:Mammals of Nepal Category:Mammals of Pakistan Category:Fauna of Rajasthan Category:Fauna of South Asia Category:Fauna of the Thar Desert Category:Mammals described in 1758 Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Symbols of Haryana