• Scientific name : Nilgiritragus hylocrius
  • IUCN Status      : Endangered
  • The Nilgiri tahr is a stocky goat with short, coarse fur and a bristly mane.
  • Males are larger than females and of darker colour when mature.
  • It can  be found only in India.
  • It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.
  • The Nilgiri tahr is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India.  
  • It inhabits the open montane grassland habitat of the South Western Ghats montane rain forests ecoregion. At elevations from 1,200 to 2,600 m (3,900 to 8,500 ft), the forests open into large grasslands interspersed with pockets of stunted forests, locally known as sholas. These grassland habitats are surrounded by dense forests at the lower elevations.
  • Despite its local name, it is more closely related to the sheep of the genus Ovis than the ibex and wild goats of the genus Capra. It is the only species in the genus Nilgiritragus.
  • The Nilgiri tahrs formerly ranged over these grasslands in large herds, but hunting and poaching in the 19th century reduced their population.