The nilgai, or blue bull, is the largest antelope in Asia, with distinct physical features and a significant cultural status in Rajasthan. They thrive in scrub forests, agricultural lands, and form social groups, but their increasing population has led to them being labeled pests, leading to management strategies including non-lethal population controls. Their diet consists primarily of grasses and they have a reproductive cycle that peaks from November to March, with a lifespan of 12 to 20 years.

1. BLUE BULL
(Boselaphus tragocamelus)

2. SYNOPSIS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
3. HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION
4. BODY STRUCTURE
5. BEHAVIOUR AND ECOLOGY
6. INTERACTION WITH HUMANS
7. THREAT AND CONSERVATION

3. INTRODUCTION
1. Nilgai or Blue bull is the largest antelope found in Asia.
2. a sloping body like that of horse, As compared to the other Asian
antelope bucks, Nilgai have stouter horns and a distinct tuft of
hair on throat.
3. Nilgai, being a bovidae (a member of cow family) is considered
sacred by many communities in Rajasthan.
4. hunting Nilgai was considered illegal till the late 20th century;
afterwards the increasing cases of cultivated lands’ raiding made
the government reconsider the events, and include the mammal
into the category of pests.
5. The favorite food for Nilgai in Rajasthan is ber fruits and leaves
and alike black bucks, they too can survive for a long period
without water.
6. Local Name – Nilgai / Rojh / Roz / Rojra
7. Common Name –Nilgai / Blue bull

5. SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Genus:
Boselaphus
Blainville, 1816
Species: tragocamelus

6. HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION
• The nilgai were first introduced to Texas in the 1920s
• Nilgai prefer areas with short bushes and scattered trees
in scrub forests and grassy plains
• They are common in agricultural lands, but hardly occur
in dense woods.
• Population densities show great geographical variation
across India.
• They avoid dense forest and deserts.
• Nilgai is a social animal. Generally, they found in small
herbs of 4 to 20, sometime found in large groups of 20 to
100 animals.

7. •. Adult males are often seen alone and wander widely.
Male Blue bulls, after they reach old age, may be found
leading a solitary life.
• Nilgai is generally known as quiet animal. They produce
short grunts when alarmed and clicking sounds when
females feed their babies. Nilgai have been recorded
making a roaring vocalization.

8. MORPHOLOGY
1.HEIGHT = They are about 120 to 150 cm high at the shoulder
2. COLOR = The body color of adult male is dark grey, with blue
appearance, and the body color of females is yellow brown,
with paler appearance.
• The under parts of males are dark blue grey or black in color, and
the under parts.
• Females are white or dirty white in color, with paler appearance.
•Both male and females have similar markings on body, white areas
include the cheek spots, ear tips, large throat bib, edges of the lips
and underside of the tail.
•The hair of the adult is thin and oily, and skin is thick, particularly
on the chest and neck of the bulls, where it forms a dermal shield.

9. 3. HORNS = Males have two horns, which become only about 16-20
cm long (Maximum recorded length is 29. 8 cm), and are black-
coloured, sharp, and curved. Horns are absent in females.
Males are larger than females.
4.WEIGHT = The weight of male Nilgai is between 180 to 240 kg, and
weight of female is between 120 to 220 kg.
5. DIET = the nilgai prefer grasses and herbs; woody plants are
commonly eaten in the dry tropical forests of India. The nilgai can
survive for long periods without water and do not drink regularly
even in summer
6.REPRODUCTION = Breeding occurs throughout the year, but peak
in November to March. Males are establish territories during the
breeding season, attempting to gather and keep small herds of
females within their area.

10. • Fighting occurs between dominant bulls for the females, and
serious injury or death sometimes results.
• The age of sexual maturity is 18 to 30 months for females, and 30
to 42 months for males.
• The gestation period is between 8 to 9 months. At the end of
pregnancy, female moves away from the herd to find a shelter for
the calves.
• Females give birth to 1 or 2 calves. In 50% of cases, female gives
birth to two calves.
• Calves spend a month in hiding before beginning to accompany
their mothers.
• The lifespan of nilgai is between 12 to 20 years.

11. MALE BLUE BULL
FEMALE BLUE BULL

12. BEHAVIOUR
• The nilgai is diurnal (active mainly during the day).
• Groups are generally small, with ten or fewer individuals.
• Fights take place in both sexes and involve pushing their necks
against each other or ramming into one another using horns.

13. INTERACTIONS WITH HUMANS
1. The nilgai is rarely consumed by Hindus due to its
religious significance
2. Tribes such as the Bishnois traditionally take care of wild
animals like the nilgai.
3. Blue Bulls are herbivorous animals who move around in
herds in the night causing extensive damage to the
crops, particularly in fields close to mountains.
4. Environmentalists suggested fencing of fields or using
chemicals along the boundaries of the fields as a way of
keeping blue bulls out of farms.

15. THREAT AND CONSERVATION
the Rajasthan government to allow shooting nilgai with non-
lethal darts to inhibit fertilization in their bodies, so as to
regulate their increasing populations

16. Thank you