Though the blackbuck in the image sits at ease and shows no urge to move, it can bolt at 50 miles per hour—outpacing every land mammal in the Indian subcontinent except the reintroduced cheetah. It lives on the open plains and scattered woodlands of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the Deccan Plateau, staying close to water and rarely still for long.
Males carry a dark brown or near-black back, white underparts and legs, pale rings around the eyes, and tightly spiralled horns that can reach 75 centimetres. Females, more muted, wear fawn coats, pale bellies, and typically have no horns. In protected habitats like Velavadar, Tal Chhapar, and Rollapadu, blackbucks now move freely—no longer shadowed by the hunting that once brought them close to disappearance.
