Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus)

Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) Also known as: blue bull, bluebuck

The nilgai is the largest Indian antelope, endemic to most of the Indian subcontinent. It is sexually dimorphic in that the females have an orange-brown coat, while the males have the noticeable blue coat as well as horns. Hindus revere the nilgai as sacred and associate it with the cow, the mother animal in Hinduism, through its name and loosely similar physical features. Nilgai have been considered a pest in several north Indian states as they ravage crop fields and cause considerable damage.

Classification Animalia - Chordata - Mammalia - Eutheria - Boreoeutheria - Laurasiatheria - Scrotifera - Euungulata - Artiodactyla - Artiofabula - Cetruminantia - Ruminantia - Pecora -  Bovidae - Bovinae - Boselaphini - Boselaphus - B. tragocamelus

Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), male, family Bovidae, order Artiodactyla, Uttar Pradesh, India

The largest of Asian antelope, but its closest relative is the four horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis), which is rather small

Has been introduced to the United States and Mexico as a game animal

Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), male, family Bovidae, Keoladeo National Park, India