Axis axis axis

(Erxleben, 1777)

Vernacular names
English : Chital
French : Cerf axis

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Cetartiodactyla
Family : Cervidae
Notes : 1 other subspecies known. Not always considered valid.

Identification
Body length of 155 cm, shoulder height of 95 cm, weight of 110 kg. Short fur, reddish-brown with white spots scattered on flanks. Black longitudinal line on black. White throat patch. Males have tall and little-branched antlers.

Range and habitat
The species occurs from south Nepal and Bhutan to Bangladesh, south to most of India. The other subspecies is endemic to Sri Lanka. Lives in moist and dry forests near grasslands and scrublands. Also near swamps.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species has experienced decline during the 1970s and has now mostly recovered to the point of being locally abundant. Widely introduced.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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