In each herd the leader is usually an old, experienced doe. Unlike our native whitetail, adult male axis deer normally are found living with herds of young and old animals of both sexes. Like the North American elk, a rutting male axis deer emits a buglelike bellow, and both sexes have alarm calls or barks. Normally, only one fawn is produced per pregnancy after a gestation period of 210-238 days. Following parturition, females again mate during the subsequent breeding period, so those adult females tend to produce one fawn each year.
Twins are rare.
Fawns begin eating green forage within the first two months of age, but weaning is delayed until 4-6 months. Adult size is reached at 6 years for females and 4-5 years for males. A medium sized deer, it is usually 30-40 inches high at the shoulder, with a body length of 40 to 60 inches. In the summer, its coat is yellowish-brown with white spots. In the winter the coat turns grayish-brown and the spots are less noticeable.