page_title: Eld's deer
section_title: Appearance
hierarchical_section_title: Eld's deer / Appearance
caption_attribution_description: English: Lt. Percy Eld
context_page_description: Eld's deer, also known as the thamin or brow-antlered deer, is an endangered species of deer indigenous to South Asia. The species was first described and given its binomial name from specimens obtained in Manipur in India in 1839. The Manipur name for the deer was noted as Sungnaee and it was described in 1842 by John McClelland as being "nondescript" but it was given the name Cervus eldi by Guthrie. in honour of Lt. Percy Eld, a British officer who was attached to the residency at Manipur. The three subspecies of the Eld's deer are:
  Panolia eldii eldi: The Manipuri brow-antlered deer is found in Manipur, India. It is called sangai in Meitei.
  P. e. thamin: The Burmese brow-antlered deer found in Myanmar, and westernmost Thailand.
  P. e. siamensis: The Thai brow-antlered deer is found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and should perhaps be treated as a separate species. The population on the Chinese island of Hainan is sometimes considered another subspecies, P. e. hainanus, but this is not supported by genetic evidence. It was described by Lydekker in 1915.
context_section_description: The following measurements have been reported for the Eld's deer:
  Head–body length: 150–180 cm (59–71 in)
  Shoulder height: 110–125 cm (43–49 in)
  Tail length: 20–30 cm (8–12 in)
  Weight: 125–175 kg (276–386 lb)
  Antler length: 99 cm (39 in)
  The deer are generally of medium size and are similar to the size and shape of the barasingha. The species has a very regal and graceful Cervus physique. Its legs are thin and long, and has a long body with a large head on a thin neck. The throat of a male has a thick mane of long hair. Males (stags) are taller and heavier than the females (hinds or does). Their coats, rough and coarse, change colour with the season; in summer the colour is reddish-brown, while in winter, it turns dark brown, with males tending to be darker than the females. The tail is short in length and the rump has no distinct patch. Despite these features, they are actually related to the Père David's deer. The antlers, bow- or lyre-shaped, do not grow upwards, but tend to grow outwards and then inwards; a smaller branch grows towards the front of the head. The brow tines are especially long and noticeable. The brow-antlered deer is so named because they have long brow tines. They shed their antlers every year, with the largest size attained during the breeding season.
caption: Lt. Percy Eld of the Bengal army, portrait sketch by Colesworthey Grant (1839)
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