Blackbuck

Antelope cervicapra

Blackbuck males are black above and on the flanks, and white underneath. The does are fawn colred where the male is black. Males sport long, ringed, spiral horns. They live on the Indian subcontinent on plains, scrub, and dry forest. They are fast running, and the females are constantly vigilant for danger. When danger is first spotted, a blackbuck will bounce high into the air. This alerts the rest, which also start bouncing. Soon the herd settles down into a normal gallop to escape. A dominant male blackbuck will control access to, but not lead, a harem of 5 to 50 females. Non-attached males form small bachelor herds. At one time, blackbucks formed groups of thousands upon thousands of animals and were the most populous game animal in India. In recent times, they have been hunted to a much smaller and more scattered population.

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