The endurance runner of the grasslands

Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time. A creature of the open grasslands, where there’s nowhere to hide, the blackbuck’s evolutionary survival trick is endurance — it can sprint incredibly fast, sometimes even fast enough to have once outrun the Asiatic cheetah when it still prevailed in India. The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is the sole living member of its genus. In a 2025 story published in Mongabay-India, Mihir Godbole, founder of The Grasslands Trust-India, said: “Blackbucks … are key indicators that grassland species cannot do well in any other habitats.” Female blackbucks are light brown and live in herds, sometimes led by a mature male. Younger males live in bachelor groups until they mature, at which point they establish their own territories, develop a black-brown coat, and grow corkscrewed horns. During mating season, males form display territories called leks, leaping and calling to attract females. Once spread across the Indian subcontinent, blackbuck populations were decimated by trophy hunting under British rule. The species is now extinct in the wild in Pakistan and Bangladesh and survives in small protected pockets in Nepal, while the majority live in India. A 2016 estimate put the Indian population at roughly 35,000. They live in the open grassland habitats and are found across 13 states, with strongholds in Velavadar, Tal Chhapar, Point Calimere, and Karnataka’s Ranebennur and Jayamangali reserves. The IUCN lists the blackbuck as least concern, indicating that its population is widespread and abundant. In India, it’s protected under Schedule I…This article was originally published on Mongabay