What is Blackbuck?

Why in news?

• Researchers found that an ancestral blackbuck population first split into two groups: the northern and the southern cluster. The eastern cluster even though geographically close to the northern cluster seems to have emerged from the southern cluster.
• The study shows that despite all odds, male blackbuck appears to disperse more than expected, thus contributing to gene flow in this species. 
• Females, on the other hand, appear to stay largely within their native population ranges, which the researchers inferred from unique mitochondrial signatures in each population. 
• The data also showed an increasing trend in blackbuck population numbers as compared to the recent past.

 

Key features of blackbuck

• It is a species of antelope native to India and Nepal.
• While males have corkscrew-shaped horns and black-to-dark brown coats, the females are fawn-coloured. 
• The animals are mainly seen in three broad clusters across India the northern, southern, and eastern regions.
• It is widespread in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and other areas throughout peninsular India.
• Protection status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least concerned.
  • Wildlife Protection Act of 1972: Schedule I
  • CITES: Appendix III
• Protected areas in India: 
  • Gir National Park, Gujarat 
  • Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar  
  • Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh        
  • Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan 
  • Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary, Karnataka 
  • Vallanadu Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu

 

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Source: IISc study sheds light on how blackbuck survive challenges