20 Elegant Species of Deer-Antelopes and Wild Goats of Indian Subcontinent

India is home to a large number of deer species, antelopes, Goat-antelopes and bovid family. The savanna and grasslands ecoregion of Indian Subcontinent are one of the last remaining habitats in Asia for herbivore wild animals such as Jumping Blackbucks, Barking Deers, big horned barasingha and the largest Asian antelope, Nilgai.

Antelopes family,Wild Goat and Deer species of India are one of the most common seen wild animals in the forest and national parks.

Chital/Spotted Deer

Spotted-Deer

The chital also known as spotted deer is the most common deer species found in Indian forests and commonly inhabits wooded regions of Indian Subcontinent. Spotted deer or Chital has been introduced to Andaman Islands of India.

Barasingha/Swamp Deer

Barasingha

The barasingha is twelve-tined swamp deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent, swamp deer ranged along the base of the Himalayas from Upper Assam to central India. Barasingha is the state animal of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Chousingha/Four-Horned Antelope

Chousingha or four-horned antelope is a species of small antelope found in open forest of Indian Subcontinent and currently classified as vulnerable. The four-horned antelope is the smallest Asian bovids,live in a variety of habitats across their range.

Sambar/Sambar Deer

Sambar-Deer

The sambar deer is largest deer species native to the Indian Subcontinent, live in woodland,dense cover,shrubs and grasses. Sambar habitats ranging from evergreen forests to the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains.

Sangai/Brow-Antlered Deer – Only Eld’s Deer in India

Sangai_deer 

The state animal of Manipur, Sangai is rare and endangered brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur. The sangai is endemic to Manipur state, lives in the marshy wetland of the Loktak Lake,one of the seven Ramsar sites in India.

Leaf Muntjac/Leaf Deer

The leaf muntjac is known as leaf deer uniquely found in dense forests of Namdapha Tiger Reserve,Arunachal Pradesh and near Noklak in Nagaland. Leaf deer is a small species of muntjac found in high altitude.

Himalayan Serow

The Himalayan serow is a goat-antelope native to the Himalayas and classified as Near Threatened  due to hunting for food and habitat loss. Himalayan serows distribution and habitat also includes Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Himalayan Goral

The Himalayan goral is a bovid species found across the Himalayas and classified as Near Threatened due to hunting and habitat loss. Himalayan gorals are found in the forests of the Himalayas, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Indian Hog Deer

Indian-hog-deer

The Indian hog deer habitat ranges in mainland Asia to the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Indian hog deers are found in Kaziranga National Park and listed as endangered animal of India.

White-Bellied Musk Deer/Himalayan Musk Deer

Himalayan-Musk-Deer

The white-bellied musk deer or Himalayan musk deer species occurring in the Himalayas and listed as endangered. Himalayan musk deer is the state animal of Uttarakhand and very well adapted for high altitude alpine environments.

Barking Deer/Indian Muntjac

Barking_Deer_Tadoba

The Indian muntjac is known as barking deer due to the bark-like sound for alarm and one of the species of eleven different species of muntjacs spread across Asia. Barking deer is among the most widespread species but least known of all mammals in Indian Subcontinent.

Blackbuck/Indian Antelope

Black-buck

The blackbuck is an ungulate species of antelope endemic to the Indian subcontinent and falls in the category of Near Threatened. Blackbucks are the only living species of the genus Antilope,generally live on open plains and open woodlands.

Chinkara/Indian Gazelle

Indian_Deer

The Chinkara gazelle species native to Indian Subcontinent and is the smallest asiatic antelope. Chinkara is popularly known as India Gazelle live in arid plains and hills, deserts, dry scrub and light forests.

Nilgai/Blue Bull

Giant-Blue-Bull

The nilgai also known as the blue bull is the largest Indian antelope and one of the most commonly seen wild animals in India. Nilgai antelope are found throughout most of India and living in open grasslands and woodlands,plains and low hills with shrubs.

Himalayan Tahr

Himalayan-Tahr

The Himalayan tahr is one of the large ungulate native to the Himalayas mountain range and listed as Near Threatened, due to hunting and habitat loss. Himalayan Tahr is associated with wild sheep and goats.

Kashmir Stag/Hangul – Elk native to India

The Kashmir stag is one of the critically endangered subspecies of wapiti native to India and is the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir. Kashmir stag lives in dense riverine forests, high valleys, and mountains of the Kashmir valley.

Nilgiri Tahr/Nilgiri Ibex

Nilgiri-Tahr

The Nilgiri tahr is the state animal of Tamil Nadu and endemic to the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats. Nilgiri tahr is a stocky goat with short inhabits the open montane grassland and Western Ghats montane rain forests ecoregion also known as known as sholas grassland.

Markhor

The markhor is a large species of wild goat found in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir and categorized as endangered species. Markhor are adapted to mountainous terrain and typically inhabit scrub forests.

Ibex

The Siberian ibex and Sindh ibex are two vulnerable species of wild goat commonly found in Indian Subcontinent. Wild goats are animals of mountain habitats and the species known as ibex.

Indian Spotted Chevrotain/Mouse Deer

Chevrotain-Mouse-Deer

Indian spotted chevrotain also known as mouse deer is the smallest species of deer, found in India. This even-toed ungulate is an nocturnal animal and mostly found in rainforests of western ghats and other natioal parks of India.

-More Deer Species Found in India

Tibetan Antelope

The Tibetan antelopes are endemic to the Tibetan Plateau but few are also found across the border in Ladakh. Tibetan antelope are a medium-sized bovid and endangered animal as only few left in the wild. There are few more small deer and goat antelope found in India named as Bharal, Takin and mouse deer.

Tibetan Gazelle

Goa antelope is known as Tibetan gazelle, found in Tibetan plateau but a tiny populations also found in the Ladakh and Sikkim regions of India. Tibetan gazelle live at high altitudes with yaks and kiang.

Ladakh Urial

Urial are medium size wild sheep, found only in Ladakh regions of North India. The Ladakh Urial is a highly endangered animal, found only in the cold mountain region of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.

Bharal/Himalayan Blue Sheep

blue_sheep

Himalayan blue sheep is called as bharal, found in the high Himalayas of India and a major food of the snow leopard. This medium sized wild sheep is also known as the goat-antelope of Himalayas.

Takin

Takin

Takin is a goat antelope and the national animal of Bhutan, found only in the eastern Himalayas of India. The takin is the largest and stockiest member of the subfamily Caprinae with a very large head and distinctive long arched nose.

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