Nilgai: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Hooves and Horns · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. Nilgai means blue cow, from two Hindi words: nil for blue and gai for cow. It is the largest antelope in Asia.
2. Only grown males earn the blue: their coat turns bluish grey, while females and young stay orange to tawny.
3. A newborn calf can stand within 40 minutes, yet its mother keeps it hidden for its first few weeks of life.
4. A scared calf gives a coughing roar lasting half a second. Herds less than 500 m away can hear it and answer.
5. The nilgai copes well with dry land. It can go a long time without water and does not drink every day, even in summer.

The quiz

1. What does the name nilgai mean?

• Fast deer
• Blue cow (correct)
• Forest horse
• Striped goat

It is made of nil, Hindi for blue, and gai, Hindi for cow.

2. Which nilgai have a bluish-grey coat?

• Newborn calves
• All females
• Adult males (correct)
• Only old females

Adult males are bluish grey, while females and young are orange to tawny.

3. How soon after birth can a nilgai calf stand?

• Within 40 minutes (correct)
• After 3 months
• After 1 year
• After 2 weeks

Calves can stand within 40 minutes of birth.

4. How far away can other herds hear a calf's alarm roar?

• Only 5 m
• About 50 km
• About 20 km
• Less than 500 m (correct)

The half-second coughing roar can be heard by herds under 500 m away.

5. How does the nilgai deal with dry weather?

• It sleeps all summer
• It can go long without water (correct)
• It drinks every hour
• It moves into rivers

It can survive a long time without drinking and does not need water every day.

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