Hemitragus hylocrius
Silhouette: [unknown] · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is the only species in the genus Nilgiritragus. The species is classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.
The Nilgiri tahr was first described as Capra warryato by John Edward Gray in the 19th century. It was later grouped under the same genus with the Arabian and Himalayan tahrs. However, based on a 2005 phylogenetic, it was reclassified into the news genus Nilgiritragus, and shares a common ancestor with the genus Ovis.
The Nilgiri tahr is a stocky mountain goat with short, coarse yellowish brown fur. The adult males stand about 100 cm (39 in) tall and weigh 80–100 kg (180–220 lb). The males are larger than the females, and have a bristly mane on the back of the neck and a distinctive patch on the saddle. Both sexes have backward-curving horns, which can measure up to 40 cm (16 in). They are agile, and avid climbers, with a keen eye sight.
The Nilgiri tahr is mostly limited to the Nilgiri and Anamalai Hills, with the largest population occurring in the Eravikulam National Park. Key populations also occur in Mukurthi and Grass Hills National Park in Tamil Nadu, with smaller, isolated groups in Ponmudi Hills and Parambikulam in Kerala, and few districts of Tamil Nadu. The species inhabits high-altitude grasslands interspersed with shola forests, and favors rocky cliffs and open plateaus. Historically widespread across the Western Ghats region, the population dropped sharply due to hunting and habitat loss, with only a few hundred left in the wild by the late 20th century. Conservation efforts have increased the population, which was recorded at about 3,122 individuals in 2015, and 2,655 individuals in 2025. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Mysore Zoo | 🇮🇳 India |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Nilgiri Tahr sighting in Eravikulam National Park on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 5 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and November–January
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Nilgiri Tahr in Eravikulam National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March, the lowest month.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Nilgiri Tahr sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Eravikulam National Park, in our data
Eravikulam National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Nilgiri Tahr sightings: about 70% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Nilgiri Tahr is recorded against all the mammals logged in Eravikulam National Park (45 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
