Overview
A small deer with a low, heavy build and comparatively short legs and face. This appearance, along with its characteristic of rushing through grass with its head down like a pig, is the basis for its common name. General color is brown or yellowish-brown with a dark dorsal stripe. Buttocks, underside of tail and inside of ears are white. Fawns are spotted, and faint white spots can sometimes be seen on younger adults, especially in early summer. The tail is medium-long and well-haired, and sometimes is displayed as a white flag when the animal runs off. Antlers typically have three points to a side. The short brow tine and main beam emerge from the burr as a fork, and the main beam divides again to form a terminal fork that is more or less parallel with the axis of the skull. The inner top is shorter than the beam tip and forms an acute angle with it. Non-typical antlers are sometimes seen, the additional tines usually taking the form of extra inner tops.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Cervidae
- Genus
- Hyelaphus
Habitat
Grassy plains and swamps. Distribution- Native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Pakistan; reintroduced to Thailand; introduced to Australia, Sri Lanka, United States.
Diet
Feeds on grasses, leaves and shoots, and crops.
Behavior
Usually solitary, in pairs, or sometimes 3-4 together, but not in herds. Breeds November-December, with a single fawn, sometimes two, born eight months later. Normally diurnal, becoming nocturnal where harassed. Eyesight and hearing are good, sense of smell excellent. Runs low to the ground with its head down, seldom leaping or bounding. A good swimmer, taking readily to the water when pursued. Makes a whistling sound when alarmed, followed by a coughing bark.
Hunting
Representative trophies range from 12 to 15 inches in length. This is an excellent game animal and a small and difficult target. Alert and wary, they can quickly disappear into thick cover or tall grass. Hunting is best done from a stand or hidden vantage point. Like many tropical deer species they have no clearly defined rut. Especially fond of crops, which has caused it to be killed as a pest by local farmers.
Conservation Status
Listed as Endangered by IUCN.