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The Nilgiri Tahr is an endangered species of ibex. Eravikulam National Park hosts the largest population in the Western Ghats, which only numbers in the 800s, so we felt lucky to have spotted one during the hour we got to spend at the park.
The Nilgiri tahrs are stocky goats with short, coarse fur and a bristly mane. Males are larger than the females, and have a darker color when mature. Both sexes have curved horns, which are larger in the males, reaching up to 40 centimeters. Adult males weigh 80 to 100 kilograms (180 to 220 lb) and stand about 100 centimetres (39 in) tall at the shoulder. Adult males develop a light grey area on their backs and are thus called "saddlebacks".