Bawean deer
Bawean deer | |
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Adult male at the Ragunan Zoo, Jakarta | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Cervidae |
Subfamily: | Cervinae |
Genus: | Axis |
Species: | A. kuhlii
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Binomial name | |
Axis kuhlii (Temminck, 1836)
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Orange arrow points to Bawean Island. Green on inserted map highlights approximate range of Bawean deer on the island. | |
Synonyms | |
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The Bawean deer (Axis kuhlii), also known as Kuhl's hog deer or Bawean hog deer, is a highly
Description
A typical height for males of 60–70 cm (24–28 in) has been reported. Males have three-tined antlers. Their fawns are spotted at birth, which separates them from the best known western population of the related Indian hog deer (Axis porcinus). Their pelage is short, smooth, and soft, and generally a light brown in color. There are few distinctive yellow markings which are limited to the head and neck. There is also a light throat patch or 'bib' and a whitish eye-ring. Infants have white spots on their backs when younger.
Taxonomy
The Bawean deer was sometimes included in the same species as the Indian hog deer (Axis porcinus), but is now mostly considered a different species. The most recent analyses indicate that these two species, together with
Life history
They live in woodlands and upland forests with dense undergrowth which is used for shelter, providing a refuge in which the deer sleep and rest during the day. They live in small groups of four or five deer, usually one female, her infant, and two males. They are herbivores and consume grasses, herbs, leaves, twigs, corn crops, and leaves of the cassava plant. Females will have one offspring at a time per year. The gestation period is 225–230 days, and the majority of births occur in February to June.
Males can be very aggressive towards other males that approach their small families, and will
Conservation efforts
The World Wildlife Fund has noted that some of the factors for the decline of this species and others in Indonesia include climate changes: warming ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, and increased flooding.[6] The Indonesian government passed a bill in 1977 protecting the endangered Bawean deer, and consequently their numbers have risen. With the help of this law their reproductive success has gone up over the years.[7] The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Kuhl's hog deer as being critically endangered, meaning that the species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.[1]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ "Axis kuhlii (Temminck, 1836)".
- ^ Regional Office of Endangered Species, Eastside Fed. Complex, 911 NE 11th Ave. Portland Oregon 97232, "U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Region 1". Archived from the original on 1999-11-27. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
- ^ Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park, The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, EH12 6TES
- ^ "Wildlife Conservation, Endangered Species Conservation". Archived from the original on 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
- ^ "Kuhl's hog deer". Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2011-12-08.
External links
- Axis kuhlii at ultimateungulate.com
- Bawean Deer Photos & Information at eastjava.com