DEER IN INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA | Facts and Details

DEER FAMILY (CERVIDS)

hog deer

The deer family includes deer, reindeer and elk. The largest deer are moose, which can weigh nearly a ton, and the smallest is the Chilean pudu, which is not much larger than a rabbit. Deer belong to the family “Cervidae”, which is part of the order “Artiodactyla” (even-toed hoofed mammals). “Cervidae” are similar to “Bovidae” (cattle, antelopes, sheep and goat) in that they chew the cud but differ in that have solid horns that are shed periodically (“Bovidae” have hollow ones).

A male deer is called a buck or stag. A female is called a doe. Young are called fawns. A group is called a herd. Deer don't hibernate and sometimes group together to stay warm. Particularly cold winters sometimes kill deer outright, mainly by robbing them of food, especially when a hard layer of ice and snow keeps them from getting at food.

The family Cervidae, commonly referred to as "the deer family", consists of 23 genera containing 47 species, and includes three subfamilies: Capriolinae (brocket deer, caribou, deer, moose, and relatives), Cervinae (elk, muntjacs, and tufted deer), and Hydropotinae, which contains only one extant species (Chinese water deer). According to Animal Diversity Web: However, classification of cervids has been controversial and a single well-supported phylogenetic and taxonomic history has yet to be established. Cervids range in mass from nine to 816 kilograms (20 to 1800 pounds), and all but one species, Chinese water deer, have antlers. With the exception of caribou, only males have antlers and some species with smaller antlers have enlarged upper canines. In addition to sexually dimorphic ornamentation, most deer species are size-dimorphic as well with males commonly being 25 percent larger than their female counterparts. [Source: Katie Holmes; Jessica Jenkins; Prashanth Mahalin; John Berini, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Cervids have a large number of morphological Synapomorphies (characteristics that are shared within a taxonomic group), and range in color from dark to very light brown; however, young are commonly born with cryptic coloration, such as white spots, that helps camouflage them from potential predators. Although most cervids live in herds, some species, such as South American marsh deer, are solitary. The majority of species have social hierarchies that have a positive correlation with body size (e.g., large males are dominant to small males). /=\

Chital

The chital (Axis axis) is a deer species found in India and Sri Lanka. Also known as axis deer or spotted deer, they are reddish in color and keep their spots their entire life. They is one meter to 1.5 meters in length, not including their 10 to 25 centimeter tail, and weighs 70 to 80 kilograms. Large bucks stand 1.2 meters at the shoulder and have large antlers that have a brow tine (prong) and a rear-directed beam that forks into two points. Their average lifespan in captivity is 15 to 20.8 years. They have been introduced to Texas and Hawaii.

chital

Chitals are a favorite prey of tigers and also sought by leopards and dholes. They seek protection from tigers in the forest and ponds or rivers where it can outswim its pursuers. When ever they approach a water hole — where tigers often hunt them — their ears twitch nervously. They emit a high-pitched "ow, ow" sound whenever tigers are near. When they graze they often do so in the company of troops of langurs (a kind of monkey) that shout out warning calls when tigers are near as well as drop fruit from trees that chitals can eat.

In their native lands, chitals generally live in grasslands and very rarely move into areas of dense jungle that may occur adjacent to the grassland. Short grasslands are an important area for them due to a lack of cover for predators such as the tigers. Riverine forests in Bardia National Park in lowland Nepal are utilized by the deer for shade and cover during the dry season. The forest also provides good foraging for things such as fallen fruit and leaves that are high in nutrients needed by the deer. [Source: Barbara Lundrigan and Carry Gardner, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Chital are primarily herbivores (primarily eat plants or plants parts) but have also been classified as folivores (eat mainly leaves). Among the plant foods they eat are leaves, grasses, flowers, wood, bark, stems fruit. They only browse when it is necessary. During the monsoon season, grass and sedge species in a sal forest are an important food source. Another source of nutrition may come from mushrooms which are high in proteins and nutrients. /=\

On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List chital are classified as a species of “Least Concern”. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they have no special status. They are hunted in the United States. They do well in captivity and can be seen at zoos. Most are on private lands in the U.S.; some are free-ranging. /=\

Chital Characteristics, Communication and Reproduction

Chital range in weight from 27 to 45 kilograms (59.5 to 99 pounds). They stands 0.6 to one meter tall at the shoulder and have a body length of about 1.5 meters (five feet). Their body color is reddish with white on the belly, inner legs, and underneath their short tail. Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: sexes are colored or patterned differently Ornamentation is different. Males tend to be darker and to have black facial markings. They also have antlers composed of three tines which can reach lengths of almost a meter. Characteristic white spots occur in both sexes and run longitudinally in rows throughout the duration of the animal's life. A dark dorsal stripe runs the length of the animal's back. [Source: Barbara Lundrigan and Carry Gardner, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Chital sense and communicate with vision, touch, sound and chemicals usually detected by smelling. They scream loudly when threatened. In addition to bellowing during the mating season, they have several other vocalizations. They have a bark that is used during times of alarm or when unusual objects have been observed. This usually occurs among females and juveniles and is repeated back and forth. Squealing which is used by fawns when they get separated from their mothers. Moaning is associated with males during aggressive displays or when resting

Chital range

Chital engage in seasonal breeding and breed once a year. Breeding occurs in April and May. Males tend to bellow during the mating season which may be a good indicator of when breeding begins. They usually have two fawns but one or three is not uncommon. The number of fawns produced as well as the mating season may vary for deer in captivity.

Females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at 14 to 17 months. First pregnancies usually occur at that time. On average males reach sexual or reproductive maturity at around 2½ years of age. The average gestation period is 7.5 months. The female usually maintains nursing until the fawn can safely roam with the herd.

Chital Behavior

Chital are terricolous (live on the ground), diurnal (active during the daytime), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), nomadic (move from place to place, generally within a well-defined range), social (associates with others of its species; forms social groups), and have dominance hierarchies (ranking systems or pecking orders among members of a long-term social group, where dominance status affects access to resources or mates). Their total home range incorporates a core area of about 32 hectares surrounded by foraging and cover areas of about 140 hectares for females and 195 hectares for males. Some variation in range size occurs depending on the season as well as the sex. [Source: Barbara Lundrigan and Carry Gardner, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Chital occur in several different kinds of herds depending on their age and sex. They often live in large mixed-sex herds with 100 or more members. These herds typically are comprised of many females and their young and two or three dominant stags. The graze in grasslands and open woodlands and are often found near waterways. They graze in the early morning and evening and rests in a cool place during the mid0day heat.

According to Animal Diversity Web: Matriarchal herds are common and composed of adult females and their young from the present and previous year. Sexually active males follow these groups during the mating season while less active males form bachelor herds. One other type of herd that occurs frequently are called nursery herds which include females with fawns less than eight weeks old. The males participate in a dominance-based hierarchial system where older and larger males dominate younger and smaller males. There are four different aggressive displays among males; head-down or scare threat, present threat, head-up, and antler threat. Females also partake in aggressive behavior but it is mostly associated with over-crowding at feeding sites. Biting, striking, and chasing are the behaviors most commonly seen among females and occasionally between females and other sexes and age classes

Chital can drive off much larger species. They are capable of dashing to cover in woodlands at speeds of 40mph (65kph). In battles with their own kind they reportedly aim their antlers at their opponent's eyes and sometimes curl their lips and grind their teeth before charging.

Sambar Deer

Sambar deer

Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) are large deer found in India, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Resembling large deer found in North America and Europe, they are two to 2.5 meters long, not including their 15 to 20 centimeter tail, and weighs 230 to 350 kilograms. Solitary except for females with young, they eat wide variety of vegetation — mostly grasses, leaves and fruit — and are mostly nocturnal. Their lifespan in captivity is as high as 26 years. Sambars were previously considered a member of the genus Cervus, as Cervus unicolor. Their average lifespan in the wild is estimated to be 20 years.

Sambar deer are native to India, Pakistan, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Philippines, southern China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, and Java. They have also been introduced in Australia, New Zealand, California, Florida and Texas. They live in temperate and tropical land environments in forests and scrub forests and inhabit both gently sloping and steep forested hillsides. They often reside near cultivated areas, such as gardens and plantations, in order to acquire food there , but are also found in thick forests, wetlands, swamp forests, and open scrub. Some of these deer may move between higher altitudes in the summer to lower, more sheltered areas during the winter months. They have be found at elevations from sea level to 3700 meters (12140 feet). [Source: Christine Brown, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

There are six distinct sambar subspecies, which vary in size and coloring, including 1) Rusa unicolor equinus, 2) Rusa unicolor unicolor, 3) Rusa unicolor brookei, and 4) Rusa unicolor dejeani. The largest sambars live in the hills of northern India. They can weigh to 350 kilograms pounds. Smaller ones live on the plains to the east and on coastal islands. The most southern subspecies lives in Indonesia. In China, sambar (Cervus nuicolor) have a body length of 1.8- two meters and a tail length of 24 centimeters. Females weigh about 120 kilograms, males about 180 kilograms. They can be found in broad-leaved forests, coniferous woods, bush lands, grass slopes and forests of low and middle-height mountains. They eat tree leaves, grass, flowers, fruit and other kinds of vegetation. [Source: Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences, kepu.net]

Sambars are primarily herbivores (primarily eat plants or plants parts) but are also recognized as folivores (eat mainly leaves). Among the plant foods they eat are leaves, berries, grasses, bark from young trees, fallen fruit, herbs, buds, wood, and stems. Generally they feed at dusk or at night, and browse mainly at clearings and forest edges. /=\

On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List they are listed as Vulnerable. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they have no special status. Although global population data is not known, the population in India exceeds 50,000 and in Australia Sambars number more than 5,000 individuals. Humans hunt Sambar deer for food and for trade. Sambars are also captured and placed into zoos. In the wild, they are an ecotourism draw. Sambars may damage agricultural crops when they forage near human habitation and are regarded as crop pests. Natural predators include tigers and leopards. They are active at dawn and dusk and at night perhaps as a response to hunting pressures from humans.

Sambar Deer Characteristics and Behavior

range of sambar deer

Sambar range in weight from 109 to 260 kilograms (240 to 573 pounds) and range in length from 1.62 to 2.46 meters (5.3 to 8.1 feet) Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males are generally larger than females and posess a dense mane on their necks. Male Sambars have antlers with three or four tines, and these antlers are periodically shed and replaced. Antlers can reach lengths of up to 100 centimeters. The maximum size for males is 185-260 kilograms; for female it is about 162 kilograms. [Source: Christine Brown, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Sambars have a coarse coat of short, dark hair. They are dark brown with lighter rusty hues on their inner legs, chin, tail and undersides. The backsides and undersides of their bushy tails are white, and when raised, the tails are used as signals. Males have three-point antlers than can reach 1.2 meters in length. Both sex have a neck mane that is thicker on males. The sambar deer coat is hispid and long. Males keep their large antlers for a few years between shedding them. They sense using touch and chemicals usually detected with smell. /=\

Sambar deer are cursorial (with limbs adapted to running), terricolous (live on the ground), nocturnal (active at night), crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), nomadic (move from place to place, generally within a well-defined range), solitary, territorial (defend an area within the home range), and social (associates with others of its species; forms social groups). Groups of up to six females with dependent young may travel together. Males are nomadic and establish territories primarily during breeding seasons.

Sambar deer are shy, skittish creatures that flee into the depths of the forest at the slightest sound. They often live together in pairs or in groups with 3-5 deer. During the daytime, they relax in grasslands or in forests and tend to browse and move around during the night. They often make calls when they go out during the night and they are most active during the rainy season. Samar are born vigilant and are good at running and jumping and like to play in water and bathe in mud. All sambars are proficient swimmers. They spend more time in water during summer and can swim several kilometers. They have the habit of sucking salty soil.

Tiger Hunting Sambar Deer

Like chitals, sambar deer are a favorite prey of tigers and also sought by leopards and dholes. They seek protection from tigers in the forest and ponds or rivers where they can outswim their pursuers. When ever they approach a water hole — where tigers often hunt them — their ears twitch nervously.

Many tigers stake out water holes and chase prey into the water. Once a tiger gets a hold of a victim it hold its head under water until it drowns. Crocodiles and alligator kill using a similar method. During the dry season most kills are made at water holes, where tigers go after swamp deer, which feed in the water, and sambar deer which often wander into the middle of the water hole, where they are vulnerable, to feed on water lilies. The high grass around the water hole is a perfect place for a tiger to hide and wait.

One technique that serves a tiger well is chasing panicked deer from shallow to deep water where the tiger grabs the deer. Describing one such attack Breeden wrote: "In four gigantic bounds [the tiger] pounces on the fawn, pushes it underwater, and grabs it in his powerful jaws. He shakes it. Trotting back to shore, he disappears in the grass."

Stalking tigers often spend twenty minutes or more making their stalk, trying to creep within 40 feet or so of their prey, on padded feet that don't make a sound, to get in position to attack. Tigers often have to make the kill in the initial charge or the attack is unsuccessful. Prey do their best to avoid becoming kills. When a spotted deer senses a tiger is near it freezes, ears up, and sometimes makes a loud barking noise. To avoid a tiger attack can leap into the air and skip sideways up to15 meters.

When a tiger spots a small herd of spotted deer, Breeden writes, "suddenly the tiger stops in his tracks. He makes not a motion — no tail twitch, no ear movement, not even a whisker quivers. He is frozen in the partial cover of a small patch of grass. As long as he is motionless, the deer can not see him, even at 30 or 40 feet. There is no breeze, so they cannot scent him. Slowly the tiger lies down. For half an hour or more he watches the deer. Then, carefully placing one foot in front of the other so as to not make a sound in the dry leaf litter, he moves himself from bush to bush."

"Though grazing quietly," Breeden continues, "the deer are alert...One sniffs the air, there must be a faint tiger scent, for the doe stamps a forefoot, a sign of mild alarm...The tiger is rigid in a crouch. The doe stamps her foot again, raises her tail, sounds a bell-like alarm call. The tiger bursts from cover, tail erect, ears forward. In unbelievable fast bounds he rushes the deer. They scatter...He misses, snarls, and utters a series of moaning roars." In his ten years with tigers Breeden said he witnessed only one successful kill

Sambar Deer Mating, Reproduction and Offspring

Male sambars are solitary and very aggressive towards one another during the breeding season, while females may be found in groups of up to Sambars are polygynous (males have more than one female as a mate at one time). They engage in year-round breeding and breed once a year. Sambars have no specific breeding season, but breeding most commonly occurs from September through January. In central and southern India females give birth in May or early June but in other parts of Asia the reproductive cycle may be different. .The number of offspring ranges from one to 2, with the average number of offspring being one.

sambar stag

eight individuals. Dominant males mate with as many females as they can. They actively defend territories, mating with multiple females that enter the area and acquiring harems which they defend vigorously. Males mark their territory with scent glands, and as many as eight females at a time may remain with one male within his range.

The gestation period for sambar deer ranges from eight to nine months. The age in which they are weaned ranges from 12 to 24 months. On average males and females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at two years. Young are precocial. This means they are relatively well-developed when born. Pre-weaning provisioning and protecting are done by females; pre-independence protection is provided by females. The post-independence period is characterized by the association of offspring with their parents. Fawns are born weak but able to walk. They remain with their mother for 1-2 years.

At birth, Sambar deer are very active and have brown hair with lighter spots, which are soon lost. Fawns weigh about 10 kilograms at birth. Males develop small antlers at one to two years; at three years antlers have two points, and adult males have antlers with three or four points.

Barasingha

Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii) are also known as swamp deer. They were once distributed throughout much of the Indian subcontinent but now are only found in areas of central and northern India and southern Nepal. There are two recognized subspecies: R. d. branderi, found in Madhya Pradesh, and R. d. duvaucelii, found in Uttar Pradesh and southern Nepal. Some sources recognize a third subspecies, R. d. ranjitsinhi, found in Assam, India, but this taxonomy is not universally accepted. Their average lifespan in the wild is 20 years; in captivity it is up 23 years. [Source: Amber Ferraino, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Barasingha live in tropical areas in wetlands, marshes, swamps, bogs and areas adjacent to rivers and other water bodies as well as grasslands and forests. The name “swamp deer” refers to their preferred habitat. Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii is found in swampland and a variety of forest types including dry, moist deciduous and evergreen. Rucervus duvaucelii branderi is found in grassy floodplains. Whichever habitat they are situated in water is commonly found nearby. Barasingha were previously known by the scientific name Cervus duvaucelii. Their name is sometimes spelled sometimes barasinghe

Barasingha are primarily herbivores (primarily eat plants or plants parts), and are also classified as folivores (eat mainly leaves). They primarily eat grasses but also feed on leaves and flowers. During the hot season, they drink at least twice a day, the first time soon after daylight and again in the late afternoon.

On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Barasingha are listed as Vulnerable. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix I, which lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. The subspecies R. d. duvaucelii is considered a vulnerable species, while R. d. branderi is endangered. Threats include degradation of habitat, predation and hunting. Barasinghas that leave protected lands are hunted for food by humans. They are also shot and killed because they are thought of as crop pests. Known natural predators include tigers and leopards. They are an important prey animal for tigers and leopards.

Barasingha Characteristics and Behavior

Barasingha

Barasingha range in weight from 172 to 181 kilograms (380 to 400 pounds) and stand 119 to 124 centimeters (47 to 49 inches) at the shoulder. Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males are larger than females. Sexes are colored or patterned differently. Ornamentation is different. Antlers of barasingha are smooth. The main beam sweeps upward for over half the length before branching repeatedly. The name “barasingha” literally means “twelve-tined”. A fully adult male can have 10 to 15 tines, though some males have been found to have up to 20.

According to Animal Diversity Web: Barasingha coats are chestnut brown on the back, fading to a lighter brown on the sides and belly, with a creamy white on the inside of the legs, rump, and underside of the tail. Their chins, throats, and the insides of their ears are also whitish in color. In winter months, beginning around November, the coat turns a dark, dull grayish brown. Adult males will have darker coats than females and juveniles, ranging from dark brown to almost black. The coats of fawns are brown and spotted when born, but the spots will fade as the fawn matures.

Barasingha are terricolous (live on the ground), diurnal (active during the daytime), crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), nomadic (move from place to place, generally within a well-defined range), social (associates with others of its species; forms social groups), and have dominance hierarchies (ranking systems or pecking orders among members of a long-term social group, where dominance status affects access to resources or mates). A typical barasingha home range is about 10.4 square kilometers (four square miles). Stags are more likely to roam outside their territory. /=\

Barasinghas are active throughout the day, but do the majority of their grazing in the morning and evening, resting through the hotter afternoon. They are social animals, normally found in herds of similar gender and age, each herd averaging between 10 and 20 members. Mixed age and gender herds can occur; when they do, one hind characteristically leads. Other females form a single file line behind her, followed by stags in the rear. Leadership appears to have no relation to dominance. In herds of either type, males demonstrate less loyalty than females, often leaving one herd to join or form another.

Barasingha sense and communicate with vision, touch, sound and chemicals usually detected by smelling. They react to the alarm calls of their own kind as well as those of other animals by holding their necks erect and cocking their ears, facing themselves towards the threat. This alerts others in the herd, who adopt the same posture as well as raise their tails and stomp their hooves. Barks and screams are sent back and forth throughout the herd, rising in pitch if a predator is sighted. The alarm reaction persists until the barasinghas are certain danger is no longer near. Males use wallows to spread their scent during the rut in an attempt to attract available females and announce their presence to other males. Bugles and barks are also employed for these purposes. Alarm calls are used when predators are nearby. (Schaller, 1967) /=\

Barasingha Mating, Reproduction and Offspring

Barasingha are polygynous (males have more than one female as a mate at one time). They engage in seasonal breeding and breed once a year. Breeding occurs from October through February. The number of offspring ranges from one to two, with the average number of offspring being one. Barasingha stags cover their massive antlers with grass during the mating season to intimidate their rivals.

Historic range of Barasingha (yellow); relict populations: duvaucelii (red); branderi (green); ranjitsinhi (blue)

According to Animal Diversity Web: A dominant stag collects a harem of up to thirty hinds (females). He will fight with other males for possession of the harem and the right to breed. At the beginning of the rut in mid-October, herds start to break apart and males create wallows. Male barasingha wallow by urinating and defecating in muddy pools and then roll, coating themselves in scent. Males also begin to bugle and bark; these sounds are sometimes compared to the braying of mules. Their calls will continue throughout the rut and well into February. Fights between competing males occur as they form harems. Males will scrape the ground with their hooves and then run at each other, clashing antlers. The tines will often be snapped off during these fights, leaving the antlers broken or disfigured. At the end of the rut, stags will leave their females and band together with other stags, while hinds form herds with similarly-aged females.

The gestation period of barasingha ranges from eight to 8.33 months. Most fawns born between September and October. The age in which they are weaned ranges from six to eight months.Females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at two to three years. Young are precocial. This means they are relatively well-developed when born. During the pre-birth and pre-weaning stages provisioning and protecting are done by females. Males are not involved in providing for or protecting the young./=\

Hog Deer

Hog deer (Axis porcinu) are native to India, the Himalayan foothills and Southeast Asia, including Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. They prefer dense forests but are often observed in clearings, grasslands and occasionally wet grasslands, with the variation depending on the time of year and food distribution. The majority of hog deer inhabits the Indus River Forest Reserves of Sindh. They have been introduced to Sri Lanka, Australia (specifically the coastal regions of south and east Gippsland), and the United States, including Texas, Florida, and Hawaii. Hog deer live 10 to 20 years both in captivity and in the wild. [Source: Andrea Michelin, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]

Hog deer are primarily herbivores (primarily eat plants or plants parts) and are also classified as folivores (eat mainly leaves). Among the plant foods they eat are leaves, grasses, and occasionally fruit. They feed nocturnally and both graze and browse, but seem to prefer grazing. Foods commonly eaten include: Saccharum spontaneum (wild cane), Saccharum munja, Tamarix dioica, Populus euphratica and Zizyphus jujuba. /=\

hog deer range

On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List hog deer are listed as Endangered. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they have no special status. Although once plentiful throughout their native range, hog deer have seen their numbers sharply decline, especially in Pakistan and surrounding areas due to habitat loss and hunting pressure. As a result of human control over the Indus River flooding, a large part of the natural habitat of hog deer is drying out.

Recently, Hog deer has become a sought after source of venison particularly in the United States. The meat was judged best tasting wild game meat by the Exotic Wildlife Association and is considered virtually fat free (it contains less than one percent fat). Commercialized hunting of hog deer is practiced in both native and introduced ranges. In Hawaii, Hog deer populations have multiplied and spread and are blamed for ecological damage. No conservation effort are underway. /=\

Among the known natural predators are jackals, jungle cats and wolves. Hog deer are good swimmers and often enter the water when threatened. If water is not available, they run, with a trotting gait, with their head held low, instead of leaping like other cervids (this, along with the animal's coloration, accounts for its common name). Another anti-predator adaptation is interspecies signaling. When threatened, they raise their tail to expose white hairs, alerting others to danger. Also, Hog deer makes warning barks.

Hog Deer Characteristics, Behavior and Reproduction

Hog deer range in weight from 36 to 50 kilograms (79.3 to 110pounds) and range in length from 125 to 135 centimeters (49.2 to 53.1 inches). Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Females are slightly smaller than males and lack antlers. The males have noticeably thick muscular necks. Their antlers tend to be small and unimpressive compared to other deer. Typically the antlers are three-tined; however, extra points are not uncommon. The antlers are covered in velvet for much of the year,

Built for creeping and mobing through the bush, hog deer are relatively small but have a stocky, muscular body. The limbs are noticeably short and delicate; the hindlimbs are longer than the forelimbs, raising the rump to a height greater than that of the shoulders. The face is short and wedge shaped. According to Animal Diversity Web: Adult Hog deer have fur that is coarse and the overall coloration is a dark olive brown; however, the guard hairs have white tips. Fawns are born with a pale sandy-yellow color and with cream colored horizontally distributed spots along their flanks. At approximately six months this coloration gradually gives way to the adult coloration. Often, in the summer, the coat of an adult Hog deer changes to reveal spots that are distributed such as those found on the fawn. The rhinarium is always naked and brown. One distinctive feature of Hog deer is the unusually large round ears that are fringed with white hairs. Also, the tail is particularly bushy due to long hairs that lie in a dorso-ventral pattern. /=\

mating mouse deer

Hog deer are nocturnal (active at night), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), sedentary (remain in the same area) and territorial (defend an area within the home range). They sense using touch and chemicals usually detected with smell. Though they tend to be solitary hog deer are sometimes spotted feeding as small groups in open fields when food there is plentiful. Small family groups are not entirely uncommon either. For the most part, hog deer and do not migrate. Males tend to be territorial and mark their territory with glandular secretions. /=\

Hog deer are polygynous (males have more than one female as a mate at one time). They engage in seasonal breeding, usually from August to October. Breeding seasons, however, vary among the the introduced populations. During the breeding season, male Hog deer are extremely aggressive, frequently challenging one another. Typically, challenges do not result in any physical harm. They are a test of strength and endurance where two males lower their heads, interlock antlers and push until one animal surrenders. Males mate with as many females as is possible; however, it is not uncommon for a male to court and defend a single female. It is not known how many males a female Hog deer will allow to mate with her during a given breeding season. /=\

The average gestation period is eight months. The number of offspring ranges from one to two, with the average number of offspring being one. The average weaning age is six months. On average males and females reach sexual or reproductive maturity at 8-12 months. Births typically occur from May to July. Newly born fawns are dropped in dense reed beds or grass thickets where they remain concealed from predators for several days while the mother feeds, returning only periodically to suckle. Young are precocial at birth. This means they are relatively well-developed when born.

Mouse Deer

The mouse deer, or chevrotain, is about the size of a large rabbit. Found in India. Sri Lanka, China and Southeast Asia, it lives in tropical rain forests, dense bush, grasslands, and on hills and mountains, subsisting of nuts, leaves, buds, seeds, fungi, fruit shoots, flowers, and vegetation of various kinds that have fallen from above or are found on the forest floor. The mouse deer is about 42-48 centimeters (a little more than a foot) long, with 5-7 centimeters0long tail. It stands about 30 centimeters at the shoulder and weighs 1.2-2 kilograms. . [Source: Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences, kepu.net]

Mouse deer (Tragulus javanicus) are said to be the smallest deer in the world but they are not a true deer. They are relatives of pigs and have characteristics normally associated with other animals. Like pigs they have four toes on each foot. Like musk deer they have tusks instead of antlers. Like camels they have a three stomach compartments instead of the usual four found in most deer. Their “tusks” are two enlarged teeth, one on either side of the upper jaw.

Mouse deer have large, luminescent eyes, small ears and thin, fragile-looking legs and sharp hooves that give the animal a tippee toe gait. They are largely solitary but also very shy and nervous, freezing when they are alarmed and escaping by running in a zigzag pattern. They signal each other with tiny, impatient stamps. There are four species: two in Southeast Asia, one in India, and a forth, the water chevrotain in west Africa. Their wide distribution suggests they are an ancient species that back to a time when tropical forest blanketed much of Asia and Africa.

David Attenborough wrote: “Deer move through the forest browsing in an unhurried confident way. In contrast the chevrotain feed quickly, collecting fallen fruit and leaves from low bushes and digest them immediately. They then retire to a secluded hiding place and then use a technique that, it seems, they were the first to pioneer. They ruminate. Clumps of their hastly gathered meals are retrieved from a front compartment in their stomach where they had been stored and brought back up the throat to be given a second more intensive chewing with the back teeth. With that done, the chevrotain swallows the lump again. This time it continues through the first chamber of the stomach and into a second where it is fermented into a broth. It is a technique that today is used by many species of grazing mammals.”

Some deer species: 30 Barasıngha (Huoervus duvıuoelıı) 31 Chınose Water Deer (Hydroporos ınermısl 32 Western Roe Deer (Capreolus aıpmolus), 33 Eastern Roe Deer (Capraolus pyyaryus)

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated January 2025