Axis porcinus
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Cervidae
Axis
Axis porcinus

description: 14.
Hog Deer
Axis porcinus
French: Cerf cochon / German: Schweinshirsch / Spanish: Axis porcino
Taxonomy. Cervus porcinus Zimmermann, 1780,
West Bengal (India).
Sometimes it iS put in a separate genus, Hyelaphus. Two subspecies are recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
A.p.porcinusZimmermann,1780—Pakistan,NIndia,Nepal,Bhutan,Bangladesh,andMyanmar.
A. p. annamiticus Heude, 1888 — S China (Yunnan), Thailand (reintroduced), and Cambodia; formerly also Laos and Vietnam but may be extinct there now.
Tt was introduced some centuries ago in Sri Lanka, and more recently into Australia, and South Africa.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 140-150 cm for males (adult bucks), and 130 cm for females (does), tail 17-21 cm, shoulder height 65-75 cm (bucks) and 55-65 cm (does); weight of bucks 40-55 kg (up to 95 kg) and of does 30-40 kg. Adult bucks are on average 35% heavier than does. Medium-sized, relatively short-legged deer; males have prominent pedicles and relatively short three-tined antlers. Face moderately short,tail relatively long. The coat is yellow-brown to dark brown in summer, grayish-brown in winter; underparts dark, tail brown dorsally, white underneath. Newborn fawns are normally spotted, but in Cambodia and Vietnam they lack spots. Some spots may persist in adults. Adult antlers are generally 30-45 cm long (up to 61 cm), with a brow tine and fork. Antler casting occurs mainly between November and April.
Habitat. Lowland wet or moist tall grasslands, often associated with rivers: in South Asiaits original range fits with the Indo-Gangetic alluvial floodplain. It avoids closedcanopy forests.
Food and Feeding. Primarily a grazer of young grasses, but also feeds on herbs, flowers, fruits, and young leaves.
Breeding. Females reach puberty at 8=12 months. They are polyestrous, with an estrous cycle of 18-19 days. Males are physiologically mature at 14-16 months. Mating may occur throughout the year, with higher activity from July to November and a peak in September—October. Males search widely for receptive females and guard them temporarily. After a pregnancy of about 230 days, does give birth to a single fawn weighing 2-3 kg. Weaning occurs at six months of age. Maximum longevity in captivity is 21 years. Tigers (Panthera tigris), Leopards (P. pardus), and crocodiles are the main predators.
Activity patterns. Active during early morning, early evening, and late evening hours. When under heavy hunting pressure, it becomes nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Males have home ranges of about 50-80 ha, females of about 40-60 ha. It is essentially a solitary species. Mean group sizes are normally 2-3 individuals. Males are often alone. Groups are mating pairs or small families, mother and fawn, or mother, fawn, and female yearling. Temporary aggregations of 20-80 individuals are seen in rich pastures.
Status and Conservation. Subspecies annamiticus CITES Annex I. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Since the 1950s Hog Deer have undergone a dramatic decline due to habitat conversion (the Terai floodplains are among the most fertile lowlands of Asia) and direct persecution. By the mid-1980s it became extinct in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam; in Bangladesh and possibly in South China a few dozens survived. More recently the Cambodian population collapsed. In Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, Hog Deer are declining at a slowerrate.
Bibliography. Biswas (2004), Dhungel & O'Gara (1991), Moore & Mayze (1990), Odden & Wegge (2007), Odden et al. (2005).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Cervidae, pp. 350-443 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 415, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6514377