Dry grassland of Blackbuck National Park at Velavadar, Gujarat

From the archive record

Blackbuck National Park at Velavadar is situated in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state, India. 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 capra, she-goat and cervus, deer. Established in 1976 in the Bhal region of Saurashtra, the park is located around 42 km from the district headquarters city of Bhavnagar. Hugging the coasts of the Gulf of Khambhat on the south, it is spread over an area of 34.08 km², which was primarily a "vidi" (grassland) of the Maharaja of the princely state of Bhavnagar. On the northern side, it is surrounded by wastelands and agriculture fields. The National park has been classified as 4B Gujarat-Rajwada biotic