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Young male blackbuck drinking

Blackbuck

Blackbucks are stocky gazelles from India, Pakistan and Nepal. Males are a distinctive black and white and have long twisted horns, while females are fawn coloured with no horns. In the rutting season the males mark their territories with scent glands in front of the eyes as well as dung and urine, and posture to each other and to the watching females. The species has been introduced to Texas and Argentina.

Scientific name: Antilope cervicapra

Rank: Species

Common names:

Indian antelope

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Distribution

Map showing the distribution of the Blackbuck taxa

Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.

The Blackbuck can be found in a number of locations including: Asia, Indian subcontinent. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Blackbuck distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Temperate grassland
Temperate grassland Tropical grassland
Tropical grassland

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

Near Threatened

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Population trend: Stable

Year assessed: 2008

Classified by: IUCN 3.1

About

The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is an ungulate species native to the Indian Subcontinent that has been classified as near threatened by IUCN since 2003, as its range has decreased sharply during the 20th century. The native population is stable, with an estimated 50,000 individuals.

The blackbuck is the only living species of the genus Antilope. Its generic name stems from the Latin word antalopus, a horned animal. The specific name cervicapra is composed of the Latin words capra, she-goat and cervus, deer.

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