Four-horned antelope: The only antelope that has 4 horns at once. But that was her curse

 Four horned Antelope

Being special means having high self-esteem, and with it paranoid personality disorder. Don't believe me? Ask a four-horned antelope. Being the only one of its kind, it shies away from any suspicious sound and avoids even its relatives. The reason for this is a unique quartet of horns, which became a real curse for the charming girl.

"Four horned Antelope" by "Flickr" is licensed under CC by nc-nd 2.0

The antelope itself, like Bambi, looks thin and even miniature: 60 centimeters long and 15-20 kilograms of meat-no more. But to call it weak and sluggish language does not turn: in terms of speed, it can easily beat Usain Bolt.

The main credo of an antelope with four horns, the same as that of any other - "give-take, beat-run". But being the number one target among hunters, our heroine has raised this principle to the Absolute: at the slightest danger, she immediately takes her feet in her hands, if this expression is applicable to her at all, and quickly evaporates into the thicket. Fortunately, in India, where it lives, they are full of them.

For the same reason, they keep to themselves. The four-horned antelope marks its borders with large piles of manure and a special secret of glands near the eyes. But do not think that this charming girl is a modest Nyasha — nyasha. Rather, an aggressive introvert who will not tolerate any violation of territorial or personal boundaries. And if you insist on contact, the antelope will remind you of its unique set of horns.

The four-horned antelope is the only bovine artiodactyl with four horns. And let me remind you: polorogye — these are bulls, rams, goats, gazelles and just antelopes. The front horns are small — sometimes only two bumps grow at all. But the rear pair is already decent — up to 12 cm.

Why would they need an extra pair of stab holes? It is not known for certain. But they assume that the beast simply did not have time to get rid of them. It is believed that the four-horned antelope has changed less than all other groups since the emergence of bovids. That is, the four horns are an archaic relic that disappeared from the more developed members of the family.

It seems that horns the size of a children's ruler are not very formidable weapons. But the main thing is not dimensions, but skill. And the males of the four-horned antelope use their head expertly. They attack each other permanently, defending their territory. But the peak of their hatred falls on the breeding season-from May to July. Winning a fight gives you not only an increased heart rate, but also a mademoiselle's heart. And then everything follows the classic pattern: solitude, eight months of pregnancy, and the climax in the form of childbirth.

But it's not all bad right now. People gifted with intelligence, still subdued their bloodthirsty brethren and began to strictly guard this miniature darling. Now antelopes live in relative peace in India and Nepal. The most difficult times for the four horns have passed, and now a thaw has come for the unique ungulates.