# Nilgai (*Boselaphus tragocamelus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/nilgai  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), also called nilghor, bluebuck or blue bull, is a mammal in the family Bovidae, subfamily Bovinae and tribe Boselaphini. It is a large, terrestrial, diurnal herbivore with an adult body mass of 169 kg, and up to 180 kg. Gestation lasts 255 days, litters average 1.5 young, and sexual maturity comes at 815 days (2.2 years). The nilgai has a lifespan of 21.7 years and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 169 kg – 180 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Height | 1 m – 1.5 m |
| Lifespan | 21.7 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 213 days – 274 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.5 |
| Age at maturity | 2.23 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.05 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Bovidae
- genus: Boselaphus
- species: *Boselaphus tragocamelus* (Pallas, 1766)

Synonyms: *Antilope tragocamelus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a nilgai?

The nilgai is a mammal in the order Artiodactyla and the family Bovidae. It belongs to the subfamily Bovinae and the tribe Boselaphini.

### How heavy is a nilgai?

An adult nilgai weighs 169 kg, with values up to 180 kg reported. This places it in the large size class.

### What does a nilgai eat?

The nilgai is a herbivore.

### Is the nilgai endangered?

No. The nilgai is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a nilgai live?

The nilgai has a lifespan of 21.7 years.

### How long is a nilgai pregnant and how many young does it have?

Gestation lasts 255 days, with reported values from 213 to 274 days. A litter has 1.5 young, with 1.05 litters per year.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/nilgai