Overview
A medium-sized deer that is reddish-fawn with pale brown underparts in summer, becoming uniformly dark brown with whitish underparts in winter. There is white on the chin, around the eyes and on the inner edges of the ears. The coat is coarse and shaggy and there is a throat mane. Females are more lightly built and paler in color than males. The young are spotted. The antlers rise at a right angle from close-set pedicels. The antlers differ from those of any other deer in that the long brow tine and the main beam form a continuous curve. They are forked at the tips and, in older males, there are a number of short tines growing from the upper part of the beam. There also may be one or more short tines where the brow tine and the beam meet.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Cervidae
- Genus
- Rucervus
Habitat
Open plains and deciduous forests of the region. Distribution- Found in Laos and Cambodia, and on the southwestern half of the island of Hainan, China.
Diet
Mainly grazers.
Behavior
These animals are active throughout most of the day, migrate short distances seasonally based on availability of food and water, and seek out areas of regrowth following fires.
Hunting
Cannot be hunted in its native range, due to endandgered status, although it is hunted on private ranges within its introduced range.
Conservation Status
Listed as Endangered by IUCN.