Cervus duvaucelii
TAXONOMY
Cervus duvaucelii Cuvier, 1823, northern India.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Swamp deer; French: Cerf de Duvaucel; German: Barasingha; Spanish: Ciervo de Duvaucel.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Shoulder height: 47–49 in (119–124 cm); body length: 71 in (180 cm); tail length: 5–8 in (12–20 cm); weight: 375–610 lb (170–280 kg). Its summer coat is short and pale creamy yellow. In winter, its coat is woolly and brown. Stags are darker with red shading.
DISTRIBUTION
Three subspecies are distinguished: C. d. duvaucelii, which inhabits Nepal and northern India; C. d. branderi of central India; and C. d. ranjitsinghi of eastern India.
HABITAT
Inhabit marshy flood plains, and move in winter to neighboring open grasslands, where deer survive on rough grasses and shrubs. Today, they also occupy broadleaved forests, both dry and moist, with under story of grasses, as well as evergreen thickets and mangroves.
BEHAVIOR
Live in small variable herds (four to 12 animals). The largest aggregations observed comprised 30 deer, though gathering only lasted a day. Breeding herds are mixed (bulls, does, young) and, at the peak of rut, are up to 50 animals. Bachelor groups were observed. Deer easily congregate or disperse, as there are no strong social bonds between animals. Only pairs of doe and a fawn younger than one year are linked.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feed on grasses, less on aquatic plants in swamps.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Polygynous. Rut is during December–January. Females come into heat once a year, gestation period lasts 240–250 days. The breeding hierarchy is established by fighting among males, dominating males mating with females in heat.
CONSERVATION STATUS
C. d. branderi is Endangered, C. d. ranjitsinghi is Critically Endangered, and C. d. duvaucelii is Vulnerable. Decline in numbers is rapid due to poaching, drainage of wetlands, shooting to defend crops, and diseases contracted from livestock. The population range is fragmented in the limits of national parks in Nepal and India. However, in natural reserves, a steady revival and even increase in numbers occurs and numbers of C.d. duvaucelii currently expanded 3,500.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Game species. Low population numbers determine cultural significance today. Is preserved in parks.
