Hog Deer

About Hog Deer

• The hog deer is a species belonging to the genus Axis.
• Scientific name: Its scientific name is Axis porcinus.
• Habitat: It inhabits well-covered dense forests near rivers and marshes, including dense reed beds, thick riverside vegetation, and woodland areas close to swamps.
• Distribution 
  • It is endemic to the tall, moist grasslands of South and Southeast Asia.
  • Its geographic range is throughout India and Pakistan, including the Himalayan foothill zone and Southeast Asia, including Burma and Thailand.
  • Its free-ranging populations have been introduced by humans in Sri Lanka, Australia and U.S.A.
  • Distribution in India: In India, it is limited to grasslands adjoining the foothills of the Himalayas, near wetlands and floodplains of the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra, extending from Punjab to Arunachal Pradesh. 
• Characteristics: 
  • Appearances: It is a low, stocky-built animal with a muscular body.
    • Height: It measures approximately 70 cm at shoulder height.
    • Weight: It can weigh between 50 – 110 kg.
    • It has relatively short legs, with its body being lower in the front than the back.
    • It has a short and wedge-shaped face. 
    • It is brown with a yellowish or reddish tinge in appearance and sometimes has a speckled appearance, as some hairs have white tips. 
    • There is a darker band running down its spine. 
    • The females are slightly smaller than the males and lack antlers.
    • Males bear three-tined antlers, mounted on short pedicles on the forehead. 
    • Its distinctive feature is the unusually large, round ears that are fringed with white hairs. 
    • Also, its tail is particularly bushy due to long hairs that lie in a dorsoventral pattern. 
  • Diet: It feeds upon grass, leaves, young shoots, herbaceous plants and riverside vegetation.
  • Behaviour: It is a solitary animal and is not found in large herds.
    • It makes a whistling sound when alarmed and gives a warning bark.
    • It has a habit of rushing through grass with its head down like a pig, rather than bounding or leaping over obstacles like other deer species.
    • It is sedentary and does not migrate. 
    • Males tend to be territorial and mark their territory with glandular secretions.
• Threats: Habitat fragmentation due to anthropogenic activities and hunting are the main threats to its existence.
• Conservation: 
  • IUCN Red List: It is currently classified as Endangered as per the IUCN Red List.
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

About Albino Hog Deer The albino hog deer is a small cervid species which is rarely found in the wild.  It is native to the region of the Indian subcontinent and the Indo-Gangetic Plain.  It is characterized by white fur, pink eyes and pale hooves.  Albino is a genetic defect wherein the animal lacks colour completely.