Sambar Deer
Introduction
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The Sambar Deer or Asian deer with the scientific name Rusa Unicolor is the one of the larger species in the deer
family and is the most widely seen deer species in the world.
They are native to the Southern and Southeast Asia. The Indian Sambar deer with the scientific name Rusa unicolor unicolor is one amongst the six subspecies of the Sambar deer family.
It falls under the family Cervidae and species Rusa Unicolor The quick classification of Indian Sambar deer is as below,
| Kingdom |
Animalia |
| Phylum |
Chordata |
| Class |
Mammalia |
| Order |
Artiodactyla |
| Family |
Cervidae |
| Genus |
Rusa |
| Species |
Rusa unicolor |
| Subspecies |
Rusa unicolor unicolor |
Physical Structure
Indian Sambar Deer has a strong built body compared to other deer species and has the grandest antlers. These deer species are covered with a thick coat which is dark brown in color. Males have large, rugged antlers which has three tines. The antlers are dropped by the deer on an annual basis. One could find chestnut marks on the rumps and at its underparts. They have a small and dense mane around the neck. They have a large muzzle and broad ears. Like other animals, males are larger than females and they weigh upto 300 kgs.
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They grow upto a height of 100 cm to 160 cm at the shoulders. The antlers grow to a length ranging between 90 and 110 cms.
The tail length is 22 to 35 cm long. Their lifespan is between 16 and 20 years. They usually raise an alarm in order to dart away from the sight of their predator. They keep them alert always and keep alarming until the danger passes away. Most of the times, they became prey because of this alarm behavior. Indian Sambar Deer is a solitary species and is rarely seen in groups. Males live alone for long years but females live in herd with its young ones. These are nocturnal species.
Subspecies of Sambar Deer
The six subspecies of Sambar Deer known to exist exclusively in Southern and Southeast Asia are given in the below table:
| COMMON NAME |
SUBSPECIES NAME |
DISTRIBUTED AREAS |
| Indian or Sri Lankan Sambar Deer |
R. u. unicolor |
India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka |
| Hainan Sambar Deer |
R. u. hainana |
Hainan Island, China |
| Formosan Sambar Deer |
R. u. swinhoii |
Taiwan |
| Bonin Sambar Deer |
R. u. boninensis |
Bonin Islands |
| South China Sambar Deer |
R. u. dejeani |
Southern and southwestern China |
| Malayan Sambar Deer |
R. u. equina |
Sumatra |
| |
R. u. cambojensis |
Indochina and peninsular Malaysia |
| |
R. u. brookei |
Borneo |
Distribution and Habitat
Indian Sambar Deer can be found in various places around every corner of the Indian Subcontinent majorly in the central part of India. They prefer various habitats like
- Forest - Temperate
- Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry
- Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowlands
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- Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane
- Savanna - Dry
- Savanna - Moist
- Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry
- Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Moist
- Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude
- Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded
- Wetlands (inland) - Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands
- Artificial/Terrestrial - Plantations
- Artificial/Terrestrial - Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest
Places found
The various places where Sambar deer are found are:
- Bhadra Tiger Reserve
- Pench National Park
- Kanha National park
- Nagarhole national park
- Bandipur national park
- Tadoba-Andhari national park
- Melghat Tiger Reserve
- Ranthambore National park
- Gir National park
- Sariska National Park
- Kaziranga National Park
- Manas National Park
- Dudhwa National Park
- Bandhavgarh National Park
- Jim Corbett National Park
Food habits
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Their food habits vary depending on their habitat.
They feed on grasses, foliage, fruits, branches, vegetation, herbs, bamboo buds, mushrooms, water plants, shrubs and trees.
Population of Sambar Deer in India
In India, large population of Sambar deer can be found in well-secured protected areas rather in the outer areas. Below is the recorded population density of Sambar in various protected areas of India.
| PROTECTED AREA |
STATE |
POPUALTION DENSITY
(animal per km² ) |
| Bhadra Tiger Reserve |
Karnataka |
1 |
| Pench National Park |
Madhya Pradesh |
9.6 |
| Kanha National park |
Madhya Pradesh |
1.5 |
| Nagarhole moist deciduous forest |
Karnataka |
5.5 |
| Bandhipur dry deciduous forest |
Karnataka |
5.6 |
| Tadoba-Andhari dry deciduous forest |
Maharashtra |
3.3 |
| Melghat dry deciduous forest |
Maharashtra |
2.7 |
| Pench dry deciduous forest |
Maharashtra |
5.9 |
| Ranthambore semi-arid dry deciduous forest, |
Rajasthan |
10.7 |
| Gir semi-arid dry deciduous forest |
Gujarat |
2 |
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has categorized Sambar Deer as 'Vulnerable' species since their population is decreasing year by year.
Mating behavior
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The mating season happens usually during the months of November and December. They commonly communicate with their pair by means of scent-marking,
foot stamping and at times by tree marking. The male deer guard their territories and attract their pair through vocal and olfactory means. The gestation period lasts for about 6 - 8 months and litters one calf at a time. The calf weighs 5 to 8 kgs and has brown hair with light spots over their body. The spots disappear once they grow at age. The calf is weaned for 7 months and stay with their mother till 2 years of age.
Threats to Indian Sambar Deer
The major threat encountered by Sambar deer is hunting wherein they are been hunted for their meat and fall as a prey for their predators such as Lion, tiger, dholes, etc. Other threats include Residential & commercial development, Housing & urban areas, Agriculture & aquaculture, Annual & perennial non-timber crops, Agro-industry farming, Wood & pulp plantations, Agro-industry plantations, Energy production & mining, Mining & quarrying, Transportation & service corridors, Roads & railroads, Biological resource use, Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals, Intentional use (species is the target), Logging & wood harvesting and Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded.
Conservation efforts in India
The various conservation efforts in India includes Land/water protection, Site/area protection, Resource & habitat protection, Land/water management, Site/area management, Species management, Harvest management, Trade management Education & awareness, Awareness & communications, Law & policy, Legislation, International level, Compliance and enforcement, International level, National level, Sub-national level, Livelihood, economic & other incentives, Linked enterprises & livelihood alternatives.
Interesting Facts
Sambar is the favorite prey species of the tiger, lion and dholes. When encountering danger a Sambar will stamp its feet and make a ringing call known as "belling" or "pooking".
