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Blackbuck male female.jpg Blackbuck, Antilope cervicapra
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae  Antelopes
are a diverse group of typically hollow-horned, slender-built,
and swift bovids native to Africa and Asia. Antelope species do
not form a taxonomic group but are spread throughout the
subfamilies of the Bovidae family (bovids) of the order
Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates); many are more closely
related to cattle or goats than to each other.  There are over
80 species of antelope, ranging in size from the royal antelope,
which weighs about 3.5 kg (8 lbs), to the giant eland, up to 900
kg (2,000 lbs). Antelopes are generally characterized by a
light, elegant figure, graceful limbs, small cloven hoofs, a
short tail, and large and unbranched horns, which may be spiral-
shaped. Some species have horns that are small.  Antelopes pay
key roles in ecosystems as part of the food chain