Habitat and Distribution

• Axis porcinus (Hog deer) appears to prefer dense forests however they observe in clearings, grasslands and occasionally wet grasslands. This variation is usually associated with the time of year and food distribution.
• Native to native to the region of the Indian subcontinent and Indo-Gangetic Plain. Introduced populations are established in Australia, as well as the United States and Sri Lanka.

Description

• Built for creeping/blush hugging, it has powerful cervid with a stocky, muscular body.
• The limbs are noticeably short and delicate; the hind limbs are longer than forelimbs, raising the rump to a height greater than that of shoulders. The face is short and wedged shaped.
• Adult have pelage that is coarse and the overall coloration is a dark olive brown; however, the guard hairs have white tips.
• Fawns are brown 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 adult coloration.

Diet

Hog deer feed nocturnally. They both graze and browse but seem to prefer grazing. Typical foods include grasses, leaves and fruits.

Threats

• Hunting primarily for bush meat
• Habitat loss due to agriculture and settlement
• Fragmentation of population
• Hog deer population has experienced dramatic declines in the past few decades and now survive in isolated pockets of suitable habitats

Fun Facts

• The Hog Deer are solitary animals and not found in large herds.
• They make a whistling sound when alarmed and give a warning bark.
• They have a habit of rushing through grass with their head down like a pig, rather than bounding or leaping over obstacles like other deer species.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List: Endangered

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Contact Us:

Samia Azad
Curator
Department of Zoology
GC University, Lahore
UAN: +92 (42) 111-000-010 Ext: 322
EMAIL: curator.zoology@gcu.edu.pk