Four-horned antelope

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Four-horned antelope
Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Tribe: Boselaphini
Genus: Tetracerus
Leach, 1825
Species:
T. quadricornis
Binomial name
Tetracerus quadricornis
(Blainville, 1816)
Subspecies

T. q. iodes (Hodgson, 1847)
T. q. quadricornis (Blainville, 1816)
T. q. subquadricornutus (Elliot, 1839)

Range map of the four-horned antelope
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Antilope chickara (J. B. Fischer, 1829)
    • A. quadricornis (Desmarest, 1816)
    • Cerophorus quadricornis (J. B. Fischer, 1829)
    • Cervicapra chickara (Hardwicke, 1825)
    • C. quadricornis (de Blainville, 1816)
    • Cervus labipes (Saint-Hillaire and Cuvier, 1832)
    • Grimmia quadricornis (Laurillard, 1839)
    • Tetraceros chickera (Blyth, 1842)
    • Tetracerus chickara (Jardine, 1836)
    • T. paccerois (Houghton, 1847)
    • T. quadricornes (Jardine, 1836)
    • T. striaticornis (Saint-Hillaire and Cuvier, 1832)
    • T. undicornis (Saint-Hillaire and Cuvier, 1832)

The four-horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis), or chousingha, is a small

anterior
horns, which might be mere fur-covered studs. While the posterior horns measure 8–12 centimetres (3.1–4.7 in), the anterior ones are 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in) long.

The four-horned antelope is diurnal (active mainly during the day). Though solitary by nature, four-horned antelopes may form loose groups of three to five –with one or more adults, sometimes accompanied by juveniles. This elusive antelope feeds on grasses, herbs, shrubs, foliage, flowers and fruits. It needs to drink water frequently; as such it stays in places near water sources. The breeding behaviour of the four-horned antelope has not been well studied. The age at which they reach sexual maturity and the season when mating occurs have not been understood well. Gestation lasts about eight months, following which one or two calves are born. They are kept concealed for the first few weeks of their birth. The young remain with the mother for about a year.

Four-horned antelopes tend to inhabit areas with significant grass cover or heavy

IUCN
).

Etymology

The

Kannada); chauka (Nepalese); nari komboo marn (Tamil).[2]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The four-horned antelope is the sole member of the

described by French zoologist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1816.[4] The four-horned antelope has only one other relative in the tribe Boselaphini, the nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus).[2] The Boselaphini have horns with a keel on the front and lack rings as found in other antelope groups.[5]

The authority for Tetracerus is variously indicated according to interpretations of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The name was first published in an 1825 publication by English naturalist Thomas Hardwicke but cited the English zoologist William Elford Leach – probably by an editor – as the authority in a footnote at the end of the publication.[6] Philip Sclater and Oldfield Thomas listed Hardwicke as the genus authority by virtue of his being the author of the publication. However, Leach is now identified as the appropriate authority based on Article 50.1.1 of the Zoological Code.[2]

A 1992

extinct Pelorovis. Tragelaphini consists of two genera: Taurotragus (eland) and Tragelaphus. Boselaphini and Tragelaphini were predicted to be close;[7] this was seconded by a similar study in 1999.[8] The following cladogram is based on the 1992 study:[7]

coat colour, body size and the number of horns:[4][9]

  • T. q. iodes (Hodgson, 1847): distributed north of the Ganges in Nepal[10]
  • T. q. quadricornis (de Blainville, 1816): distributed in peninsular India
  • T. q. subquadricornutus (Elliot, 1839) distributed in the Western Ghats and southern India[11]

Evolution

Skull of the four-horned antelope

Though Boselaphini has no African representation today,

diploid chromosome number of 58 which has reduced in Tetracerus to 38 through a process of concatenation of some chromosomes.[17]

Fossils of

Shiwalik Hills in India and Pakistan, as do several Tragoportax species. A 2005 study suggested the migration of Miotragoceros to eastern Asia around 8 Mya.[20] Alan W. Gentry of the Natural History Museum reported the presence of another boselaphine, Mesembriportax, from Langebaanweg (South Africa).[21]

Evidence of early

humans hunting four-horned antelope during the Mesolithic period (5,000 to 8,000 years ago) have been found in the Kurnool caves of southern India[22] and similar evidence has been found from the Chalcolithic period (3,000 years ago) in Orissa, eastern India.[23]

Description

Doe
Buck

The four-horned antelope is one of the smallest Asian bovids. The number of its horns distinguishes it from most of the other bovids, that have two horns[24] The four-horned antelope stands 55–64 centimetres (22–25 in) at the shoulder and weighs 17–22 kilograms (37–49 lb); the head-and-body length is typically between 80 and 110 centimetres (31 and 43 in).[25] Sexual dimorphism is not very notable, though only males possess horns.[2]

Slender with thin legs and a short tail, the four-horned antelope has a yellowish brown to reddish coat. The underparts and the insides of the legs are white. Facial features include black markings on the muzzle and behind the ears. A black stripe marks the outer surface of each leg. Females have four teats far back on the abdomen.[2] The hair feels coarse, more like that of a deer than the glossy hair typical of antelopes.[26] The fetlocks are marked with white patches.[26]

One pair of horns is located between the ears, and the other on the forehead. The

anterior horns, which might be mere fur-covered studs. While the posterior horns each measures 8–12 centimetres (3.1–4.7 in), the anterior ones measure 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in).[26][27][28] Horns emerge at 10 to 14 months.[2] According to Groves, anterior horns show the poorest development in the subspecies T. q. subquadricornutus. These horns measure nearly 4.5–5 centimetres (1.8–2.0 in) in T. q. quadricornis, and nearly 1.5–2.5 centimetres (0.59–0.98 in) in T. q. iodes. The posterior horn lengths for the subspecies recorded by him were: 8–10 centimetres (3.1–3.9 in) for T. q. quadricornis, 6.5–7.5 centimetres (2.6–3.0 in) in T. q. iodes and 1.8–2 centimetres (0.71–0.79 in) in T. q. subquadricornutus.[9]

The four-horned antelope differs greatly from the nilgai in colour, is much smaller and has an extra pair of horns. The nilgai is nearly nine times heavier and two times taller than the four-horned antelope. Two deer species, the

Indian muntjac and the Indian hog deer, can be confused with this antelope. The four-horned antelope, however, lacks their antlers.[2] The chinkara, a gazelle, can be told apart by its light brown coat and larger, ringed horns.[29]

Ecology and behaviour

The four-horned antelope is

undergrowth at noon.[30] Though solitary by nature, the four-horned antelope may form loose groups of three to five. Groups consist of one or more adults, sometimes accompanied by juveniles. Males and females hardly interact, except in the mating season.[31]

The antelope is shy and elusive. When alarmed, it stands motionless and may nervously leap away from the danger or even sprint. It often conceals itself in tall grasses to escape predators.

mark vegetation in their territories with a colourless secretion of preorbital glands, that soon condenses to form a white film. They maintain multiple latrine sites where piles of their pellet droppings are formed by regular use.[30] Latrine sites can be confused with those of the barking deer but the pellets are longer and larger in four-horned antelopes.[32] Submissive display consists of shrinking the body, lowering the head and pulling the ears back.[30] Predators of four-horned antelopes include tigers,[33] leopards, and dholes.[34]

Diet

Four-horned antelope prefer habitats with dense undergrowth and tall grasses.

The four-horned antelope feeds on grasses, herbs, shrubs, foliage, flowers and fruits. A study in

sympatric species, was infrequent.[30] The antelope is wary when feeding, often raising its head and looking about its vicinity.[30] The four-horned antelope needs to drink water frequently; as such it stays in places near water sources.[26]

Reproduction

illustration of the head from 1903.

Breeding behaviour of the four-horned antelope has not been well studied. The age at which sexual maturity is gained is doubted; two captive females had their first parturition at less than two years.[2] The breeding season in Panna National Park probably lasts from May to July,[30] and from June to August in Mudumalai National Park.[31] The male approaches the female in a relaxed gait, giving out low coughs. The two may kneel and push against each other with the necks intertwined. The male makes a few short mounting attempts; the female may be foraging all the while without any reaction.[30] Gestation lasts about eight months, followed by the birth of one or two calves. The newborn has a head-and-body length of 42 to 46 centimetres (17 to 18 in), and weighs 0.7 to 1.1 kg (1.5 to 2.4 lb). Juveniles are kept concealed for the first few weeks of birth. Births in Mudumalai National Park peak from February to April. Juveniles remain with their mothers for about a year.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Male four-horned antelope in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

The four-horned antelope is confined to the Indian subcontinent, occurring widely in disjunct and small populations. The range in India covers a vast expanse, from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the Deccan Plateau in the south. Most of the existing populations live in India, and lower numbers in adjoining Nepal.[1] The four-horned antelope inhabits open, dry,

deciduous forests in hilly terrain.[35][36] It prefers areas close to water bodies that are covered with grasses or heavy undergrowth. It generally keeps away from settlements.[citation needed
]

It was earlier common throughout deciduous forests in India, but the population declined to an estimated at slightly above 10,000 mature individuals in 2001, with a decreasing trend.[35][1] Numbers in Gir National Park were estimated at 256 individuals in 1974; later estimates at waterholes in the same location put them a little above 1,000. Densities of above 0.7 individuals per km2 have been considered as being healthy.[37]

Threats and conservation

The four-horned antelope is threatened by the loss of its natural habitat due to agricultural expansion.[1] Moreover, the unusual four-horned skull and the horns have been a popular target for trophy hunters.[38]

The four-horned antelope is classified as

CITES Appendix III.[1]

Major protected areas across India where four-horned antelopes occur include:[39]

See also

References

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  3. ^ a b c d Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
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  9. ^ a b Groves, C. (2003). "Taxonomy of ungulates of the Indian subcontinent". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 100: 353–4.
  10. ^ Hodgson, B.H. (1847). "On the four-horned antelopes of India". Calcutta Journal of Natural History. 8: 87–94.
  11. ^ Elliot, Walter (1839). "A catalogue of the species of mammalia found in the Southern Mahratta Country; with their Synonymes in the Native Languages in use there". Madras Journal of Literature and Science. 10: 207–233.
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  13. ^ Pilgrim, G.E. (1939). "The fossil Bovidae of India". Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India. New Series. 26: 1–356.
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  16. ^ Solounias, N. (1990). "A new hypothesis uniting Boselaphus and Tetracerus with the Miocene Boselaphini (Mammalia, Bovidae) based on horn morphology". Annales Musei Goulandris. 8: 425–39.
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  18. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330690404
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  19. ^ Kostopoulus, D.S. (2005). "The Bovidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the late Miocene of Akkas¸dag˘i, Turkey". Geodiversitas. 27: 747–91.
  20. ^ Zhang, Z. (2005). "Late Miocene Boselaphini (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) from Fugu, Shaanxi Province, China". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 43 (3): 208–18.
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  22. doi:10.1080/00438243.1985.9979962
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  23. ^ Badam, G.L.; Behera, P.; Mishra, J. (2001). "Chalcolithic faunal economy at Khambeswarpally, middle Mahanadi Valley, Orissa: a bioarchaeological perspective". Current Science. 80 (7): 828–30.
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  25. ^ Sharma, K.; Rahmani, A.R. (2004). "Four-horned antelope or chowsingha (Tetracerus quadricornis Blainville, 1816". ENVIS Bulletin (Wildlife and Protected Areas): Ungulates of India. 7.[permanent dead link]
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  28. ^ Bentham, T. (1908). An illustrated catalogue of the Asiatic horns and antlers in the collection of the Indian museum. Kolkata, India: Indian Museum. pp. 46–7.
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  30. ^ a b c d e f g Sharma, K.; Rahmani, A.R.; Chundawat, R.S. (2009). "Natural history observations of the four-horned antelope Tetracerus quadricornis". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 106 (1): 72–82.
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  37. ^ Rice, C.G. (1991). "The status of four-horned antelope Tetracerus quadricornis". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 88 (1): 63–66.
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  39. ISBN 978-1-4349-8509-5
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External links
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