Spotted deer

Axis axis

This medium-sized deer has a brown hue with white patches that are present all their life and not only on calves, as in most deer.

 

It inhabits the rainforests and forests of Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Nepal, up to the geographical barrier of the Himalaya, and constitutes one of the main preys of tigers, in a great part of its distribution area.

Natural habit

This Asian native species lives in the forest areas of Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Nepal, up to the geographical barrier of the Himalaya. Apart from its natural distribution area, it can also be found in some areas of Europe, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea, Brazil Uruguay, Argentina and the United States (California, Florida and Hawaii), where it has been introduced by mankind.

Spotted deer
  • Distribution / Resident
  • Breeding
  • Wintering
  • Subspecies

Risk level

  • Extint
  • Extint in the wild
  • Critically endangered
  • In Danger
  • Vulnerable
  • Near threatened
  • Minor concern
  • Insufficient data
  • Not evaluated
Least Concern

Taxonomy

Class
Mammalia
Order
Artiodactyla
Family
Cervidae

Physical characteristics

50-90 kg
Birth Weight: 3-4 kg
70-95 cm
More than 20 years in captivity

Biology

Habitat
Jungle
Social life
Gregarious
Feeding
Herbivorous

Reproduction

Gestation
231-235
Days
Baby
1, sometimes 2

Discover how they are

Biology

Description

This medium-sized deer has a brown hue with white patches that are present all their life and not only on calves, as in most deer. Its underparts are white. The antlers, only present in males, normally have three tips and can reach up to 75 cm long.

Habitat

Grass or shrub lands within moderately dense rainforests and forests.

Feeding

Its diet is strictly herbivorous and eats all kinds of grass, leaves, seeds, flowers and fruits. Up to 190 species of plants have been reported to be part of its diet.

Reproduction

Reproduction can take place at any time of the year, although it usually mates between March and July. Gestation lasts for about seven and a half months and each time a single fawn is born, exceptionally two.

Conduct

It usually lives in small family groups, sometimes mixed with other species like the black antelope or the gaur, and can form quite large groups during the monsoon season. It is diurnal, mainly active during the early morning and at dusk. Its main predators are the tiger and the leopard, although it can also be hunted by Asian wild dogs or great reticulated pythons.

Status and conservation programs

It is a common species, abundant in a great part of its distribution area.