The Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiritragus hylocrius, is an ungulate endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is the only species in the genus Nilgiritragus. The species is classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List, and it is the state animal of Tamil Nadu. It was first described as Capra warryato by John Edward Gray in the 19th century and later grouped with the Arabian and Himalayan tahrs, but a 2005 phylogenetic study led to its reclassification into a new genus, sharing a common ancestor with the genus Ovis. It is a stocky mountain goat with short, coarse yellowish brown fur. It is primarily threatened by habitat loss and disturbance.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 ThreatsInvasive and Other Problematic Species, Genes and Diseases 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Connections
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In Biome
Source Nilgiri tahr (Wikipedia)
Source Nilgiri tahr (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Nilgiri tahr (Wikipedia)
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Source Nilgiri tahr (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitat, where it livesQuote, Distribution and habitat, where it lives
The Nilgiri tahr is endemic to the Nilgiri hills and the Anamalai Hills in the southern Western Ghats of South India.
Sources
1. Nilgiri tahr (Wikipedia)
Lead
The species is classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List.
Lead, living or extinct
The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Behaviour
The Nilgiri tahrs are usually seen feeding on the edges on rocky plateaus and grasslands in the mornings and evenings, and resting on ridges during the day.
Lead, threats
Historically widespread across the Western Ghats region, the population dropped sharply due to hunting and habitat loss, with only a few hundred left in the wild by the late 20th century.
Threats and conservation
The species 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.
Distribution and habitat
The Nilgiri tahrs formerly ranged over a larger extent across the grasslands of the Western Ghats, but hunting and poaching in the 19th century reduced their population.
Lead, system
The Nilgiri tahr is mostly limited to the Nilgiri and Anamalai Hills, with the largest population occurring in the Eravikulam National Park.
Distribution and habitat, where it lives
The Nilgiri tahr is endemic to the Nilgiri hills and the Anamalai Hills in the southern Western Ghats of South India.
View the SourceArtiodactyla (Wikipedia)
In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Inner systematicsQuote, In Group: Even-Toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), Inner systematics
The bovids (Bovidae) are the most species-rich family.
View the Source Bovidae - Wikipedia
Child Taxon Of: Bovidae, LeadQuote, Child Taxon Of: Bovidae, Lead
Bovidae is the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes cattle, bison, buffalo, antelopes, and goat-antelopes such as sheep and goats.
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