Chital

Axishirsche in Kerala, India

The Axis Deer or Chital ( Axis axis ) is a common in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka deer. Like all members of the genus Axishirsche also has this kind throughout the year on a flashy, spotted coat pattern. The contrast between the white spots and the otherwise reddish-brown fur, however, is stronger than is the case with other deer.

Features

As the fallow deer and sika deer carries the Chital a lifetime a stain dress. The white patches are with him in particularly sharp contrast to the reddish-brown fur. Belly and legs are colored white. With a body length of 140 cm, a body height of 80 cm and a weight of 100 kg, it is slightly smaller than a fallow deer and much smaller than a deer, but bigger than a deer. The legs and body are slender, the height at the withers is about 95 cm, the tail length of about 25 cm. Due to the tropical habitat develop Axishirsche no winter coat with a different coat color. However, the coat in the winter months shinier, thicker and darker than in summer.

The antler is relatively unique as all Axishirschen. It has three ends, the Antler bend until after the back and then forward again. Aug- and middle rung of the Antler arise at an angle of 90 degrees and is at the top bent vertically upwards. With him the antler measures 76 and 96 centimeters. Since this is the axis deer to a tropical deer, the period of antler shedding and antler growth is not precisely be delimited. Deer of the same habitat have antlers on in different growth phases.

The Axis Deer is very ruffreudig. For Lautrepertoir include rough Bell sounds and a throaty, but high growl. The fright According to the female are also barking sounds. They are also to be heard, if it drives the males during the rutting season.

Dissemination

The natural range includes India, the south of Nepal and the island of Sri Lanka. Here, the axis deer lives in open terrain and tree- bush country, but avoids dense forests.

The Axis Deer is not threatened in its existence.

By the people of the axis deer was also introduced in many regions of the world where he was not originally native, so in the southern USA, Hawaii, South America, in Croatia and in the Andaman Islands. Also in New Zealand, where man has naturalized a total of seven species of deer for hunting purposes, he was once made at home, but is now apparently extinct again. Naturalization tests in England and Germany consistently failed due to the fact that the axis deer can not stand the cold climate.

Way of life

Axishirsche live in groups of five to ten animals. Under favorable conditions, form large flocks that can include more than one hundred individuals. The composition of the herds is in constant change. Males, females and juveniles join these groups. Even at the rutting season, when put with other deer species males a highly aggressive behavior on the day that tolerate male Axishirsche that nobody fellow males in the flocks. However, they defend a female with which they want to mate against other males.

They graze primarily on grass land that directly adjoins the forest and into which they can escape if they are disturbed. Axishirsche benefit if domestic cattle are present on their Äsplätzen because cattle eat the tougher, longer grasses, while Axishirsche prefer the young and delicate shoots. In addition, they also eat agricultural crops, fallen fruits and flowers. Axishirsche sent to substantial forest damage because the male trees mark by knock off the outer bark of the tree trunks by sweeping the antlers and thereby exposing the white inner bark. In the areas adjacent to the forest areas Äsflächen Axishirsche remove the bark from almost every tree. This very often leads to the fact that the trees die. Axishirsche thus prevent their Äsflächen overgrown with bushes and go into the forest.

Reproduction

The offspring are born on average after a gestation period of 230 days to the world, the pairing times are not dependent on the weather. In most Axishirschen only one young is born, twins are a rare event. The spotted coat, the fawns already from birth. They grow very fast and the female pups are already ready to conceive when they reach the age of 12 months.

Predators

Tiger and Dhole among the most important predators of Axishirschs. Dhole usually hunt in packs and Axishirsche usually flee before them; occasionally Axishirsche attack this, however, relying on their antlers and their front legs. Before Tiger Axishirsche can only escape it. They therefore react immediately to warning calls of birds and monkeys, which could indicate an approaching tiger. Usually they try to keep as much distance from the tiger that another approach is useless for this. All four species are also eaten by pythons that occur in their habitat.

The Axishirsche shows in the regions in which there are tigers and Dhole, a special behavioral adaptation. Because they have learned that both species tend to avoid the collision with the people, they keep more on the outskirts of villages. At night they come occasionally even in the villages and mingle there under the domestic cattle.