Four Horned Antelope

Four Horned Antelope or Chousingha with the scientific name Tetracerus quadricornis is a small antelope with four horns native to India.

It is the only species under the genus Tetracerus. They are also spotted in Nepal. Antelope is a mammal species that is found to be a part of the Bovidae family. However, not all members of Bovidae family are to be considered antelopes. The term 'antelope' refers to a miscellaneous group within the Bovidae family. The quick classification of the four horned antelope is as below,

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Artiodactyla
Family	Bovidae
Genus	Tetracerus
Species	Tetracerus quadricornis
Subspecies	Martes flavigula flavigula

Physical Structure

Four horned antelope is a small, slender built antelope with dark brown or reddish-brown colored coat and makes itself distinct with other mammals with its four horns. The hair over the coat is short, thin and coarse. The horns are short, smooth and conical. Two horns grow in between the ears and the other pair at the front of forehead. Only males possess these paired horns. The first pair of horns grow few months from its birth; the second pair appears after 10 to 14 months. They have white colored thin legs, short yellow-brown colored tail and their ears are blackish brown. They have small, rounded hoofs present at the front side.

They are usually paired and at times seen solitary.

The young ones of the four horned antelope are called as 'calf', adult females are addressed as 'doe' while the males as 'buck'. They walk or run with their body jerking. The back horns are longer than the front horns. The horns near the ears (back horns) are 10 cm long and those on forehead (front horns) are 5cm long. Their body length ranges from 80 to 100 cm in length and weigh about 15 to 25 kg. They are 55 to 65 cm tall at the shoulder. The tail is 10 to 15 cm long.

Subspecies of Four Horned Antelope

There are three subspecies of Chousingha existing in various parts of the world:

• Tetracerus quadricornis quadricornis
• Tetracerus quadricornis iodes
• Tetracerus quadricornis subquadricornis

Distribution and Habitat

Four horned antelopes prefer various habitats like open forest, hilly areas, terrestrial, woody forest and dry deciduous forest. They mainly live near the streams or rivers such that they get the water supply in abundance and also where tall grasses are available. They are seen in various parts of India like Gujarat, Tamilnadu, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. They are also native to Nepal.

Places found

Jim Corbett National Park:
The Jim Corbett National Park is located in Ramnagar in the district of Nainital, Uttaranchal, at the foothills of Himalayas. The biggest attraction in this park is the wide variety of wildlife, breathtaking natural vegetation and trekking trails. Jeep and Elephant safaris are conducted to view the Four Horned Antelopes grazing over the park. The fauna here includes Four horned antelope, Leopard, Deer, Royal Bengal tiger, Indian elephants, Para or Hog Deer, Barking deer, Wild boar, Chital, etc.

Sariska Tiger Reserve: The Sariska Tiger Reserve is a national park in India located in Alwar district of Rajasthan.

The park is situated at a distance of 107 km from Jaipur and 200 km from Delhi with an area of 866 sq.km.Eventhough this a tiger reserve we could see Four Horned Antelope near to the water resources. Most commonly spotted fauna here are Chausingha, leopard, Bengal tiger, wild jackal, wild dog, sambhar, chital, hyena, wild cat, nilgai, wild boar, etc.

Gir National Park:
The Gir National Park is situated in Gujarat with an area of 120 square-miles with rich flora and habitat. The four horned antelopes which graze near some water bodies are guarded by the leopards which look for a right situation to hunt the antelope. Other Wildlife here includes Lion, Sambar deer, Chital, Jackal, Hyena, and Langur Monkeys. Jeep safari is conducted in order to view all the wildlife at Gir National park.

Nagarhole National Park:
It is one of the oldest national parks in India located in Coorg, in the South Indian state of Karnataka with an area of about 645 square kilometers. It is the habitat of various endangered species specified in the IUCN listing. This has a wide population of Chausingha which can be seen grazing in the open areas. The animals that are found commonly in the park are Black footed and Southern plains Gray Langur, elephants, tiger, leopard, panther, gaur, sloth bear, sambhar, chital and many other mammals.

Food Habits

These species are herbivores feeding primarily on grasses, shoots, leaves, fruits like plum, gooseberry, acacia, bauhinia and other forest vegetation. The four horned antelope drink water frequently and hence they stay near to the stream or river.

Mating behavior

The mating season for four horned antelope begins between the months of July and September. They attain sexual maturity at the age of 2. The males and females communicate through an alarm call and with husky call addressed as 'phronk'. They leave their scent marking or marking in the vegetation using the scent gland in front of their eyes. Life-long pairs can be observed more in number.

The gestation period lasts for about 7.5 to 8 months.

After which they give birth to 1 to 2 off-springs. The young ones are 1 to 1.1 kg in weight. They stay with their mother for 1 year. Their maximum life span is 10 years.

Population of Four Horned Antelope in India

The studies on the population estimate reveal that the number of four horned Antelope are decreasing over the years and the population would be approximately greater than 10,000. Hence International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified Four Horned Antelope as 'Vulnerable' species. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has listed Four Horned Antelope in Appendix III (Nepal). >

Threats to Four Horned Antelope

The major threats encountered by Four Horned Antelope are habitat loss, food loss and predators. Habitat loss may include the destruction of open areas for human settlements, conversion of forest to agricultural lands. Because of this human encroachment, the scrubs are being removed leaving food scarcity for these antelopes. Their predators comprise of tigers, leopards, gray wolves, dhole and small cats. In some places they are being hunted for meat and horns.

Conservation efforts in India

Protected areas are developed in various ranges in order to protect Four Horned Antelope from various threats. It is protected under the law of Wildlife Protection Law Act – Schedule I.

Interesting Facts

1. These are so similar to hog deer but their movement differentiates hog deer from four horned antelope. They have a typical jerky movement when they walk or run.
2. They are said to have a skittish nature and get scared easily They communicate through a call sound like husky 'phronk'.
3. They run swiftly but they get stunned when they see the predators following them.