It is hard to guess what a Nilgai weights. But we have the answer:
An adult Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) on average weights 181.63 kg (400.42 lbs).
The Nilgai is from the family Bovidae (genus: Boselaphus). It is usually born with about 5.88 kg (12.96 lbs). They can live for up to 21.67 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 2 meter (6′ 7″). Usually, Nilgais have 1 babies per litter.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The nilgai or blue bull (; literally meaning “blue bull”; Boselaphus tragocamelus) is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. The sole member of the genus Boselaphus, the species was described and given its binomial name by German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. The nilgai stands 1–1.5 metres (3.3–4.9 ft) at the shoulder; males weigh 109–288 kilograms (240–635 lb), and the lighter females 100–213 kilograms (220–470 lb). A sturdy thin-legged antelope, the nilgai is characterised by a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short crest of hair along the neck terminating in a tuft, and white facial spots. A column of pendant coarse hair hangs from the dewlap ridge below the white patch. Sexual dimorphism is prominent – while females and juveniles are orange to tawny, adult males have a bluish-grey coat. Only males possess horns, 15–24 centimetres (5.9–9.4 in) long.The nilgai is diurnal (active mainly during the day). The animals band together in three distinct kinds of groups: one or two females with young calves, three to six adult and yearling females with calves, and all-male groups with two to 18 members. Typically tame, the nilgai may appear timid and cautious if harassed or alarmed; it flees up to 300 metres (980 ft)-or even 700 metres (2,300 ft), galloping away from the source of danger. Herbivores, nilgai prefer grasses and herbs, though they commonly eat woody plants in the dry tropical forests of India. Females become sexually mature by two years, while males do not become sexually active until four or five years old. The time of the year when mating takes place varies geographically, but a peak breeding season lasting three to four months can be observed at most places. Gestation lasts eight to nine months, following which a single calf (sometimes twins or even triplets) is born. As typical of several bovid species, nilgai calves stay hidden for the first few weeks of their lives. The lifespan of the nilgai is around ten years.Nilgai prefer areas with short bushes and scattered trees in scrub forests and grassy plains. They are common in agricultural lands, but hardly occur in dense forest. Major populations occur in the Terai lowlands in the foothills of the Himalayas (northern India), but the antelope is sparsely found in Nepal and Pakistan. It was first thought to be extinct in Bangladesh but it was found there on 22 January 2019. Nilgai were first introduced to Texas in the 1920s and the 1930s. As of 2008, the feral population in Texas is nearly 37,000. The nilgai is categorised as Least Concern by the IUCN. The nilgai has been associated with Indian culture since the Vedic period (1500–500 BC). Hindus revere the nilgai as sacred and associate it with the cow, the mother animal in Hinduism, through its name and loosely similar physical features. They were hunted in the Mughal era (16th to 19th centuries) and are depicted in numerous miniatures. Nilgai have been considered a pest in several north Indian states, as they ravage crop fields and cause considerable damage. In Bihar, authorities have classified the nilgai as vermin.
Animals of the same family as a Nilgai
We found other animals of the Bovidae family:
- East Caucasian tur bringing 57.5 kilos (126.77 lbs) to the scale
- Long-tailed goral bringing 27 kilos (59.52 lbs) to the scale
- Springbok bringing 33.39 kilos (73.61 lbs) to the scale
- Goa (antelope) bringing 23.13 kilos (50.99 lbs) to the scale
- Saola bringing 97.84 kilos (215.7 lbs) to the scale
- Klipspringer bringing 13.46 kilos (29.67 lbs) to the scale
- Puku bringing 71.23 kilos (157.04 lbs) to the scale
- Przewalski’s gazelle bringing 27.5 kilos (60.63 lbs) to the scale
- Waterbuck bringing 203.2 kilos (447.98 lbs) to the scale
- Topi bringing 127.19 kilos (280.41 lbs) to the scale
Animals with the same weight as a Nilgai
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Boselaphus tragocamelus:
- Australian sea lion with a weight of 189.14 kilos (416.98 lbs)
- Atlantic white-sided dolphin with a weight of 186.76 kilos (411.73 lbs)
- Giant forest hog with a weight of 196.57 kilos (433.36 lbs)
- Philippine warty pig with a weight of 189.4 kilos (417.56 lbs)
- Tiger with a weight of 162.28 kilos (357.77 lbs)
- Asinus with a weight of 172.5 kilos (380.3 lbs)
- Dwarf sperm whale with a weight of 183.07 kilos (403.6 lbs)
- Lichtenstein’s hartebeest with a weight of 168.7 kilos (371.92 lbs)
- Mountain tapir with a weight of 155.46 kilos (342.73 lbs)
- East African oryx with a weight of 200.58 kilos (442.2 lbs)
Animals with the same size as a Nilgai
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Nilgai:
- Lesser kudu with a size of 1.68 meter (5′ 6″)
- Sambar deer with a size of 2.04 meter (6′ 9″)
- Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin with a size of 2.37 meter (7′ 10″)
- Pantropical spotted dolphin with a size of 2.14 meter (7′ 1″)
- Guadalupe fur seal with a size of 1.71 meter (5′ 8″)
- Ross seal with a size of 2.07 meter (6′ 10″)
- Takin with a size of 1.74 meter (5′ 9″)
- Caribbean monk seal with a size of 2.29 meter (7′ 7″)
- Polar bear with a size of 2 meter (6′ 7″)
- Spinner dolphin with a size of 2.13 meter (7′ 0″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Nilgai
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Nilgai:
- Eastern bettong
- Zanzibar bushbaby
- Diademed sifaka
- Black-capped squirrel monkey
- Little yellow bat
- Thomson’s gazelle
- Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin
- Wroughton’s free-tailed bat
- Rüppell’s pipistrelle
- Bonnet macaque
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Nilgai
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Nilgai:
- Scimitar oryx with an average maximal age of 20.42 years
- Raccoon with an average maximal age of 20.83 years
- Takin with an average maximal age of 19.5 years
- Greater spot-nosed monkey with an average maximal age of 23 years
- Alpine ibex with an average maximal age of 22.25 years
- Sumatran serow with an average maximal age of 21 years
- Marsh mongoose with an average maximal age of 17.42 years
- Masked palm civet with an average maximal age of 18 years
- Barbary sheep with an average maximal age of 21 years
- Japanese serow with an average maximal age of 18.5 years