Overview
A medium-sized deer, varying considerably in size, coloration and markings depending on the subspecies. As in wapiti and red deer, but unlike other deer, sika develop upper canine teeth. Typical sika deer antlers have four points to a side-the main beam plus three tines. A strong brow tine grows close to the burr, a trez tine (no bez tine in sika deer) grows from the top or front of the main beam, and an inner top tine grows on the inside of the beam to form a forward-facing terminal fork. Some sika stags will have additional tines, which usually are basal snags or extra top tines, and these tines are always non-typical.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Cervidae
- Genus
- Cervus
- Species
- Cervus nippon
Habitat
Forested regions, migrate up and down in elevation depending on the seasons. Distribution- Believed to be extinct in the wild. Native to the Philippenes and once introduced on Jolo Island.
Diet
Forest browser.
Behavior
Usually solitary or in small family groups of a female and her offspring, and sometimes a stag as well. Prior to the rut, adult males establish territories, marking boundaries by urinating and scraping the ground with forelegs and antlers. Males are very noisy and aggressive during the rut, fighting each other to establish dominance, with the winners gathering harems of as many as 12 females, though six is more usual. The stag's roar starts as a high-pitched scream and often ends with a sound much like the hee-haw of a donkey. Alert and wary, they venture from cover only to search for food, and become almost totally nocturnal when persecuted. Eyesight, sense of smell and hearing are all good. They run with a bouncing gait.
Hunting
Refering to sika deer overall, they are excellent game animals in every respect. Stags can be called when rutting, but the caller must be within a stag's territory when doing so, because they are reluctant to cross their own territorial boundaries. Stags become aggressive during the roar, even toward man, and can be dangerous when wounded.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN. However this classification refers to the species as a whole, not this particular subspecie. Population estimates for this subspecie are not well-defined and more information is needed for current and future conservation efforts.