A grassland antelope whose males become darker with age.
Males have dark brown backs and sides, while females are yellowish. The belly and eye rings are white, and males have spiraling horns.
Blackbuck are antelopes of India’s grasslands; adult males have a dark back, white underside and spiral horns. In 2025, researchers compared gut bacteria from fecal samples collected without handling blackbuck in ten Indian populations. Host genetic diversity was more strongly associated with microbiome diversity and differences among individuals than the environmental factors examined.
Distance to settlements and human-modified land were also associated with microbial patterns. More genetically similar blackbuck tended to have more similar gut communities. The findings suggest that conservation should consider genetic diversity alongside habitat. But this observational study did not show that genetic diversity improves health or survival through gut microbes.
IUCN Red List (status shown on the Mammal Diversity Database species page) · Least Concern (LC) · Global (Antilope cervicapra)
The Mammal Diversity Database lists the blackbuck’s global IUCN category as Least Concern (LC). This is a global assessment and does not describe conditions in every local population. A 2025 study across ten Indian populations found that gut-microbiome patterns were strongly associated with host genetic diversity; distance to human settlements and land use were also associated. The authors suggest considering genetic diversity alongside habitat in conservation. However, the observational study did not test whether gut microbes improve health or survival, or whether any particular conservation action would produce that outcome.