Blackbuck - South America | Online Record Book Preview

Antilope cervicapra

Antilope negro (Sp), Hirschziegenantilope (G), Antilope cervicapre (F). Also called Indian antelope.

DESCRIPTION (male) Shoulder height 22-25 inches (56-64 cm). Weight 75-110 pounds (34-50 kg), with an average of about 90 pounds (41 kg). Females are two-thirds the size of males.

A slender, graceful, very handsome antelope with contrasting dark and white coloration. Considered by many to be the most attractive and elegant of gazelles. One of the few antelopes where the sexes have different coloration. Mature males are a rich dark brown (sometimes almost black) above and on the outside of the legs, with the underparts, inside of legs, and area around the eyes a sharply contrasting white. Females are fawn and white. Young males are colored like females, darkening gradually with age until fully mature at 4-5 years. (Oddly, a few males fail to darken, although they are normal in other respects.) The horns (males only) are long, closely ringed, and corkscrew-shaped with 3-5 tight twists.

DISTRIBUTION Widely distributed on private ranches throughout Argentina, from Chaco to Neuquen. Both Free Range and Estate hunting occurs.

REMARKS Native to the plains of India and Pakistan where, until the last century, it was the most abundant hoofed animal, numbering about four million. Introduced on private property in La Pampa province in south-central Argentina in 1906. Further releases took place in Santa Fé, Córdoba, and Buenos Aires provinces in 19l2, and there have been other releases in 1940 and during the 1960s.