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Indian sambar - CERVUS UNICOLOR
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Sambar": "Sambar" is a Hindi word for the animal.
Location: India and Indonesia.
Habitat:Terrestrial. Humid tropical and subtropical forests, up to an altitude of 10,000 feet.
Description: There are six distinct subspecies of the sambar, which vary in size and color. The coat is bristly and long. Only the stags have antlers, which usually have three tines each, and can reach a length of over a yard. Length of head and body can reach nine feet, with the tail adding another 12 inches. It stands up to five feet high at the shoulders, and weighs over 700 pounds.
Behavior: The diet consists mainly of grass, leaves, and wild fruit. It is not easy to catch a glimpse of the sambar, even where it is numerous, because at the slightest sound it darts off into the depths of the forest. If attacked by a tiger, leopard, or wild dogs, it often takes to streams and swims away. Except for the mating season, it is solitary. During the mating season the stags acquire harems which they defend vigorously from rivals.
Reproduction: In central and southern India the females give birth during May and early June, but reproduction occurs at different times in other parts of its range. After an eight-month gestation, one or occasionally two fawns are born, which are nursed for a few months.
Go to the Artiodactyla Page to learn more about all the even-toed hoofed animals.
Or go to the Deer Index to study other
deer.
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