| Boselaphini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nilgai | |
 | |
| Four-horned antelope | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Tribe: | Boselaphini Knottnerus-Meyer, 1907 |
| Genera | |
and seetext. | |
Boselaphini is atribe ofbovines. It contains only twoextantgenera, each with a single extantspecies.
The Boselaphini or four-hornedantelope tribe are the last survivors of a form very similar to that of the ancestors of the broadersubfamily. The oldest fossil members of the tribe, such asEotragus, date to theMiocene about 18 to 20 million years ago. Such fossils possessed horns very similar to those of males belonging to the two living species, although in some cases, they were also present in females.[1] Enamelδ13C values of boselaphins andbovins from theLate Miocene ofPakistan indicates that the former preferred more closed habitats than the latter, which favoured foraging in more open environments.[2]
Both extant species have relatively primitive anatomical and behavioural characteristics and the females have no horns. They are native to the rapidly diminishing forests ofIndia, and tend to avoid open plains. Thenilgai has been introduced into southernTexas where a population of a little under 15,000 animals provides some long-term insurance for its survival.[citation needed]
| Image | Genus | Species |
|---|---|---|
_male.jpg) | BoselaphusBlainville, 1816 |
|
 | TetracerusLeach, 1825 |
|
The following are the genera classified under the tribe. Genera marked with † are extinct.[3]
Tribe Boselaphini
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