Nilgai: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the nilgai lives – recorded in 5 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Boselaphus tragocamelus
Group	Antelopes, wild cattle, sheep & goats
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	5 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe, North America
Class	Mammal
Order	Artiodactyla
Family	Bovidae

Where does the nilgai live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the nilgai in 5 countries and territories across Asia, Europe and North America. In Pakistan it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the nilgai endangered?

The nilgai’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the nilgai?

The nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) is a mammal in the order Artiodactyla and the family Bovidae, genus Boselaphus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the nilgai

The nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest antelope in Asia. It is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole living member of the genus Boselaphus, which was first scientifically described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. It is a sturdy, thin-legged antelope with a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short crest of hair along the neck terminating in a tuft, and white facial spots. A column of pendant, coarse hair hangs from the dewlap ridge below the white patch. It stands 100–150 cm (39–59 in) at the shoulder; males weigh 109–288 kg (240–635 lb), and the lighter females 100–213 kg (220–470 lb). Sexual dimorphism is prominent; while females and juveniles are orange to tawny, adult males have a bluish-grey coat. Only males have horns, which are 15–24 cm (5.9–9.4 in) long.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Nilgai (revision 1380354874), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q200444 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).