Swamp Deer

News: A study reports that translocated hard-ground swamp deer from Kanha to Satpura are increasing and breeding successfully, reducing extinction risk.

About Swamp Deer

• Swamp deer, also called barasingha, is a deer species found in the Indian subcontinent.
• Subspecies: There are three subspecies of swamp deer found in the Indian subcontinent, which show regional distribution and variation.
  • Western Swamp Deer: The western subspecies (Rucervus duvaucelii) is found in Nepal.
  • Southern Swamp Deer (Hard-ground): The southern subspecies (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi) was once found widely across India, but it now survives naturally only in Kanha, which makes it highly vulnerable.
  • Eastern Swamp Deer: The eastern subspecies (Rucervus duvaucelii ranjitsinhi) is found in Kaziranga and Dudhwa National Parks.
• Habitat: It lives in open forests and grasslands and depends on wetland and herbaceous plants.
• Distribution: It is found in India and Nepal and it is extinct in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
• Characteristics:
  • Size and Body: Adult males weigh 170–280 kg, while females weigh 130–145 kg, and the shoulder height ranges from 119–135 cm, which shows clear size differences.
  • Coat: The coat is generally brown, with males being darker.
    • It changes with seasons, as a thick brown coat develops in winter and is replaced by a reddish-brown coat in summer.
  • Antlers: Antlers are found only in males and measure about 74 cm on average, with some reaching 104 cm, and they have multiple points.
  • Social Behavior:
    • Swamp Deer have matrilineal societies with dominant adult females usually leading mixed herds.
    • They are polygynous with distinctive male and female linear hierarchies.
  • Diet: It feeds mainly on wetland plants and herbaceous vegetation.
• Threats
  • Habitat alteration
  • Fragmentation of grasslands
  • Hunting
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I 
  • Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972