The White Buck or Albino Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
Albinism in Blackbuck is rare and caused by the lack of the pigment melanin. The animal looks fully white due to the lack of melanin in their skin. Wildlife experts say that the biggest problem with these Albinos is that they are singled out by predators and hunted. The distinctive horns of the Blackbuck are ringed with 1 to 4 spiral turns, rarely more than 4 turns, and can be as long as 79 cm (31 in).In the male, the upper body is black (dark brown), and the belly and eye rings are white. The light-brown female is usually hornless.
The blackbuck is an ungulate species of antelope native to the Indian Subcontinent that has been classified as ''near threatened'' by IUCN since 2003, as its range has decreased sharply during the 20th century. The native population is stable, with an estimated 50,000 individuals.
The blackbuck is the only living species of the genus ''Antilope''.
Its generic name stems from the Latin word ''antalopus'', a horned animal. The specific name ''cervicapra'' is composed of the Latin words.. more
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