Black buck

The Black Buck (Antelope cervicapra) or Indian Black Buck antelope, is a small antelope native to Northern India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Males are on average 32 inches tall at the shoulder, the females being slightly smaller. Females and juveniles are light brown in colour. Mature males are black/brown with white flanks and grow long, spiral horns which can be 28 inches in length. Females give birth to single calves, but can reproduce twice in one year. The females and their young often congregate in herds of around 20 animals, usually with one dominant adult male present. Young males leave their maternal herd at about 6 months of age and join bachelor herds consisting entirely of immature males. The average lifespan is 12- 16 years.

Black Buck inhabit open grasslands and scrub, where they feed mostly on grass, but also eat leaves and fruit from bushes. Their main natural predator is the wolf.

There are four subspecies of Black Buck: A. c. cervicapra, A. c. rajputanae, A. c. centralis and A. c. rupicapra.

Black Buck are listed as endangered, due to poaching and habitat destruction. Small Black Buck populations are also under threat from inbreeding.