Nilgiri tahr

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Speciesbox

The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the only species in the genus Nilgiritragus and is closely related to the sheep of the genus Ovis.

It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.<ref name=prater>Template:Cite book</ref>

EtymologyEdit

The genus name Nilgiritragus is derived from the Sanskrit words Nila(blue) and Giri(mountains) meaning "blue hills" and the Greek word trágos meaning "goat".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

TaxonomyEdit

The Nilgiri tahr was described as Capra warryato by Gray.<ref name="Ham">Template:Cite book</ref>

TaxonomyEdit

The species was formerly placed in the genus Hemitragus together with the Himalayan tahr (H. jemlahicus) and the Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari). A 2005 phylogenetic analysis showed that the Himalayan and Arabian tahr are sisters of the genus Capra while the Nilgiri tahr is a sister of the genus Ovis and it was therefore separated into the monotypic genus Nilgiritragus in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The divergence from the common ancestor of Ovis and Nilgiritragus is estimated to about 2.7-5.2 million years ago. Estimates point to the genetic separation of the populations north (Nilgiris) and south (Anamalais) of the Palghat Gap about 1.5 million years ago.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

DescriptionEdit

Template:Multiple image

File:Nilgiri Thar Rajamala VID 20220403 112459.webm

Nilagiri Thar video

The Nilgiri tahr is a stocky goat with short, coarse fur and a bristly mane. Males are larger than females and of darker colour when mature. Both sexes have curved horns, reaching up to Template:Convert for males and Template:Convert for females. Adult males weigh Template:Convert and stand about Template:Convert tall at the shoulder. Adult males develop a light grey area on their backs, thus are called "saddlebacks".<ref name=prater/>

Distribution and habitatEdit

The Nilgiri tahr can be found only in India. It inhabits the open montane grassland habitat of the South Western Ghats montane rain forests ecoregion. At elevations from Template:Convert, the forests open into large grasslands interspersed with pockets of stunted forests, locally known as sholas. These grassland habitats are surrounded by dense forests at the lower elevations. The Nilgiri tahrs formerly ranged over these grasslands in large herds, but hunting and poaching in the 19th century reduced their population.<ref name=iucn/>

ThreatsEdit

The Nilgiri tahr is primarily threatened by habitat loss and disturbance caused by invasive species, and in some sites by livestock grazing, poaching and fragmentation of the landscape.<ref name=iucn/>

ConservationEdit

As few as 100 Nilgiri tahrs were left in the wild by the end of 20th century. Since that time, their numbers have increased somewhat; in a comprehensive study of the Nilgiri tahr population in Western Ghats, the WWF-India has put the population at 3,122.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Their range extends over Template:Convert from north to south, and Eravikulam National Park is home to the largest population. Per the wildlife census conducted by Kerala forest department in association with volunteers from College of Forestry and Veterinary Science under Kerala Agricultural University, from April 24–28, 2014, the number of animals in Eravikulam National Park has increased to 894 individuals. This is the highest ever count recorded in the national park, with the first census in 1996 finding only 640 tahrs.<ref name=munnar>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The other significant concentration is in the Nilgiri Hills, with smaller populations in the Anamalai Hills, Periyar National Park, Palani Hills, and other pockets in the Western Ghats south of Eravikulam, almost to India's southern tip. A small population of tahrs numbering around 200 is known to inhabit the Boothapandi, Azhakiyapandipuram, Velimalai, Kulasekaram, and Kaliyal Ranges in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu <ref>"Bonnet Macaque tops in wildlife survey in Kanyakumari district"</ref> and another small herd of less than 30 animals is known to inhabit Ponmudi Hills in Trivandrum district of Kerala.<ref>"Squeezing Life out of Ponmudi"</ref>