Sambar Deer 1378649 223461312 2008-07-04T04:43:42Z Zotirmoi 7020046 {{Taxobox | name = Sambar | status = LR/lc | image = Sambar_deer.JPG | image_width = 250px | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Mammal]]ia | ordo = [[Artiodactyla]] | subordo = [[Ruminantia]] | familia = [[Cervidae]] | subfamilia = '''Cervinae''' | genus = ''[[Cervus]]'' | species = '''''C. unicolor''''' | binomial = ''Cervus unicolor'' | binomial_authority = ([[Robert Kerr (writer)|Kerr]], 1792) }} [[Image:Sambar Deer Keoladeo NP.jpg|255px|thumb|right|Female Sambar Deer in Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, India]] '''Sambar''' (also ''sambur'', ''sambhur'', [[Tamil language|Tamil]]: ''Kadaththi man'',Assamese: ''Xor Pohu'' ), is the common name for several large dark brown and maned Asian deer, particularly for the Indian species (''Cervus unicolor''), which attains a height of 102 to 160 cm (40 to 63 in) at the shoulder and may weigh as much as 1200 pounds (546 kg). The coat is dark brown with chestnut marks on the rump and underparts. The large, rugged antlers are typically rusine, the brow tines being simple and the beams forked at the tip. In some specimens the antlers exceed 101 cm (40 in). == Ecology == Sambars are primarily browsers that live in woodlands and feed mainly on coarse vegetation, grass, and herbs. They are diurnal animals who live in herds of 5-6 members, grazing on grass, sprigs, fruit and bamboo buds. [[Image:sambar-deer-in-forest.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Sambar in forest]] These deer are seldom far from water and, although primarily of the tropics, are hardy and may range from sea level up to high elevations such as the mixed deciduous forest zone in the [[Himalayan Mountains]] sharing its range with the Himalayan [[musk deer]]. These deer are found in habitats ranging from tropical seasonal forests ([[tropical dry forests]] and seasonal moist evergreen forests), subtropical mixed forests (conifers, broadleaf deciduous, and broadleaf evergreen tree species)to [[tropical rainforest]]s. Their range covers a vast majority of territory that is classified as [[tropical rainforest]], but their densities are probably very low there. In these areas, the deer probably prefer clearings and areas adjacent to water. They live as far north, according to ''Wild China'', as the southern slopes of the [[Qinling Mountains]] in Central China. In Taiwan, sambar along with [[sika deer]] have been raised on farms for their antlers, which they drop annually in April to May. Sambars are a favorite prey item for [[tiger]]s. == Lifestyle and reproduction == Though they have no specific mating season, sambars commonly mate from September and on to January in the Northern hemisphere. Males defend rutting territories and attempt to attract females by vocal and olfactory displays. The males are solitary and highly aggressive toward other males during this time. Females may live in groups of eight. A male may have one whole group of females in his territory. The gestation period for the females is around 9 months with one fawn born at a time. Sambar fawns have brown hair with light spots which they lose very shortly. Fawns stay with their mothers for up to two years. == Species distribution == The Indian Sambar (''Cervus unicolor'' syn. ''Cervus aristotelis'') inhabit much of [[southern Asia]] (as far north as the south-facing slopes of the [[Himalayan Mountains]]), mainland [[Southeast Asia]] ([[Burma]], [[Thailand]], [[Indochina]], the [[Malay Peninsula]]), [[southern China]] (including [[Hainan]] Island), [[Taiwan]], and the islands of [[Sumatra]] and [[Borneo]] in [[Indonesia]]. This deer has been seen congregating in large herds in protected areas such as national parks and reserves in [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Thailand]]. The subspecies of Indian sambar in India and Sri Lanka are the largest of the genus with the largest antlers both in size and in body proportions. The South China sambar of Southern China and Mainland Southeast Asia is probably second in terms of size with slightly smaller antlers than the Indian sambar. The Sumatran sambar, that inhabits the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, and the Bornean sambar seem to have the smallest antlers in proportion to their body size. The Formosan sambar is the smallest ''Cervus unicolor'' with antler-body proportions more similar to the South China sambar. There are two small, separate but similar species, the [[Philippine Sambar]] (''Cervus mariannus'') and the [[Philippine Spotted Deer]] (also known as the [[Visayan Spotted Deer]] or Alfred's Sambar) (''Cervus alfredi''), that inhabit the [[Philippines|Philippine Islands]]. Both deer are smaller than the Formosan sambar. [[Image:Sambar chennai.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Sambar]] The [[Rusa Deer]], or [[Sunda Sambar]] (''Cervus timorensis''), is slightly smaller than the Indian Sambar and inhabits the islands of [[Java]] and [[Bali]] in [[Indonesia]] and, unlike the latter three species, it is predominantly a grazer and forms the largest herds. This deer probably originated in Java but was widely introduced to several adjacent islands as well as the [[Molucca]] Islands and [[Lesser Sunda Islands]]. Herds gather in open savannas but will retreat to adjacent dry deciduous woodlands or seasonal mixed deciduous monsoon forests for cover. This deer is a favorite prey of the [[Komodo Dragon]]. There is also a small herd of sambar located on [[St. Vincent Island, Florida|St. Vincent Island]] in Florida. These were brought in by the former owner, before he sold the island to the Nature Conservancy. == In Australia and New Zealand == Sambar deer are an introduced species in both Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, hunting them is a popular sport. Australian hunting fraternities consider large sambar trophies to be prized.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} Sambar deer also have an impact on native plants, which is of particular concern as they threaten to cause some plant species to become extinct. Sambar were originally introduced into Victoria at Mt Sugarloaf in the 1860s, near the present Kinglake National Park, and at Harewood Estate near Tooradin, where they quickly adapted to the Koo Ree Wup coastal ti tree swamps and thereafter spread into the high country, where today the state herd may number as high as 100,000 animals. Later releases were at Ercildoune Estate near Ballarat, Wilsons Promontory and French Island in Western Port. Another release occurred on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory. In [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Sambar Deer have been listed as a threat to biodiversity under the [[Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988)]] because of their negative impact on biodiversity of native vegetation. <ref>[http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/DSE/nrenpa.nsf/LinkView/EADA0F1874AF9CF24A2567C1001020A388BBA5581CF9D859CA256BB300271BDB Flora and Fauna Guaranatee Act - Processes List (updated December 2007) (PDF - 33 KB)]</ref> The animals feed on some rare and endangered plants, and in particular the seedlings, fruit or seeds of these plants. Adult male Sambar Deer can significantly damage plants, removing most branches on some shrubs and sometimes [[ringbarking]] trees by thrashing their antlers on shrubs and sapling trees. They leave territorial marks to advertise their territory.<ref>[http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/b0222c68d27626e2ca256c8c001a3d2d/27e73d0f649601eaca2573a200037bd9!OpenDocument Media Release: New Plan Needed To Manage Impact Of Sambar Deer<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 2006/07, a severe wildfire burned over 13,000 km² of Victoria's Alpine National Park and State Forest, and is believed to have killed as many as 20,000 sambar, along with millions of native birds and wildlife. In New Zealand, sambar deer roam the coastal and gullies in Horowhenua, Manawatu, Rangitikei and Wanganui. Until recently they were protected, but New Zealand Department of Conservation has now removed hunting regulations surrounding them, allowing them now to be hunted year round. Sambar are quick to recover from adversity - when a female loses a calf to a predator, she immediately comes into oestrous, and produces another offspring within 8 months. While Sambar in Sri Lanka are preyed upon by leopards, and in India are preyed upon by the swamp tigers, their main predator in Australia is the recreational hunter, who mainly takes the sambar for food and trophy value. Sambar stags in Australia are known to have reached body weights as high as 800 lb (360 kg), so favourable is the habitat found in the Victorian high country. The spread of sambar has been steady in both NSW and Victoria, with animals being seen on many southern Victorian beaches since 1980, and as far east as Western Port and the outer suburbs of Melbourne. There is considerable debate about how they should be managed, in particular, conservations groups believe their environmental impact outweighs their social value, although this is contested by hunting organizations who are largely responsible for their management along with State forest managers. They are currently listed as a desired game species, and a game licence is required to hunt them, although some conservation groups want them declared a feral species, due to their impact on native vegetation and biodiversity. == See also == *[[Sri Lankan Sambar Deer]] {{commons|deer}} == References == <references/> * {{IUCN2006|assessors=Deer Specialist Group|year=1996|id=41790|title=Cervus unicolor|downloaded=12 May 2006}} * [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Rusa_unicolor.html Animal Diversity Web - ''Rusa unicolor''] == External links == *[http://www.nzhuntinginfo.com/printPage.php?pageName=./game/sambar Hunting Sambar in New Zealand] *[http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/news.aspx?id=43775 NZ Minister of Conservation's media release, 24th April 2007] {{Artiodactyla|R.1}} [[Category:Deer]] [[Category:Mammals of Asia]] [[Category:Mammals of India]] [[Category:Fauna of Southeast Asia]] [[Category:Fauna of Thailand]] [[Category:Fauna of Indonesia]] [[Category:Fauna of Taiwan]] [[Category:Megafauna of Eurasia]] [[zh-min-nan:Chúi-lo̍k]] [[de:Sambar]] [[es:Cervus unicolor]] [[eo:Akvocervo]] [[fr:Sambar]] [[id:Rusa Sambar]] [[it:Cervus unicolor]] [[ml:മ്ലാവ്]] [[mr:सांबर हरीण]] [[ms:Rusa sambar]] [[nl:Sambar]] [[ja:サンバー]] [[pl:Sambar indyjski]] [[th:กวางป่า]] [[tr:Sambar geyiği]] [[zh:水鹿]]