Fun Indian Hog Deer Facts For Kids

The Indian hog deer or Axis porcinus or Hyelaphus porcinus, the scientific name, is sometimes referred to as axis deer. The native home ranges are throughout India and parts of Pakistan and they are also found in Nepal, Bangladesh, Yunnan province of China, and mainland area of Southeast Asia and have been introduced in many other parts like Australia and the United States and are mostly found in national parks and similar area throughout Asia. As this species only feeds on grasses and leaves, it prefers to live in grasslands and clearings. This species gets its name because of the hog-like manner in which it runs through its habitat with its head low, it eases ducking under obstacles instead of leaping it over like other species. This species' behavior is only gregarious when the conditions are favorable and male populations can be aggressive and territorial. The mating system is promiscuous and males tend to mate with as many females as possible in the breeding season that takes place from August-October. Males tend to challenge and fight with each other with its head low and interlocking the antlers. These do not live in pairs and females tend to give birth alone to a fawn. The body length or height of the Axis porcinus is up to 27.5 in (710 mm) and the tail length is 17-21 cm. The coat or the fur is coarse and dark brown olive in color. The populations or number of these animals are declining due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and poaching, and thus, hunting of these animals is strictly banned in some parts. It is quite fascinating to know about this species, so read on, and if you're interested, read about kudus and gerenuks too.

What type of animal is an Indian Hog Deer?

This is a species of deer.

What class of animal does an Indian Hog Deer belong to?

This hog deer belongs to the class of mammals.

How many Indian Hog Deer are there in the world?

There has been no specific number of these hog deers recorded.

Where does an Indian Hog Deer live?

This deer has a native range throughout India. This also extends to the Himalayan Foothill zone and Nepal, Bangladesh, and mainland Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Burma. Most of the population inhabits the Indus river forest reserves of Sindh. Humans have introduced these deers to other areas too such as in Sri Lanka, Australia, and United States including Texas, Hawaii, and Florida.

What is an Indian Hog Deer's habitat?

These deers prefer dense forests and have been seen or found in clearings, grasslands, and sometimes, wet grasslands.

Who do Indian Hog Deer live with?

These deer do not form herds and tend to live individually.

How long does an Indian Hog Deer live?

This Axis porcinus, the scientific name of hog deer, has a lifespan that ranges from 10-20 years in the wild and captivity.

How do they reproduce?

Sexual maturity takes place at 8-12 months of age and this hog deer mates yearly from August-October. During the breeding season, males tend to be aggressive and challenge one another. This challenge does not lead to harm and takes place to test strength by keeping head low and interlocking the antlers and push each other until one surrender. Males mate with as many females as possible. Gestation periods last for about eight months and birth happens from May to July. The newly borns are kept in dense reed beds or grass thickets where they are protected or hid from predators for many days while the mother feeds. The young ones are precocial at birth and weaning takes place at approximately six months.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of this hog deer is Endangered.

What do Indian Hog Deer look like?

This hog deer is considered to be small but powerful with a stocky and muscular body. The limbs of this hog deer are short and delicate. The hindlimbs are longer than the forelimbs. This raises the rump to a height greater than that of shoulder height. The face of this hog deer is wedge-shaped and short. The pelage of this deer is coarse and dark olive-brown in color. The guard hair has white tips. The young ones or the fawns are pale sandy yellow in color with cream-colored spots which are horizontally distributed. These deer have large and round ears fringed with white hairs. The tail of this deer is bushy because of the long hair in the dorsoventral pattern. There exists sexual dimorphism and females are slightly smaller than males and also do not have antlers. The males have thick and muscular necks.  

How cute are they?

Some people consider these deer cute.

How do they communicate?

Not much information is available about the communication of the hog deer but it is known to use tactile and chemical methods to communicate with each other.

How big is an Indian Hog Deer?

It can weigh up to 81.5 lb (37 kg) and are about 27.5 in (710 mm) tall and 41-45 in (1050-1150 mm) long.  These are considered to be smaller than the other hog deer species.

How fast can an Indian Hog Deer run?

The exact speed of this animal is unknown but they are known to be fast.

How much does an Indian Hog Deer weigh?

It can weigh up to 81.5 lb (37 kg).

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male is known as buck or stag and the female is known as doe or hind.

What would you call a baby Indian Hog Deer?

A baby of the hog deer is called a fawn or fawns.

What do they eat?

These are nocturnal creatures and graze and browse. Primarily, they feed on grasses and leaves and sometimes fruits too. This includes wild cane or scientifically known as Saccharum spontaneum, Saccharum munja, Tamarix dioica, Populus euphratica, and Zizhyphus jujuba.

Are they dangerous?

It is unknown if these deer are harmful or dangerous to humans.

Would they make a good pet?

Not much information is available about this deer as a pet and these animals would not make great pets as this species is endangered.

Did you know...

There exist around nine different species of deer in India.

These animals are known to be quite good swimmers and when they feel threatened or in danger, they flee by entering the water.

When they want to warn other members about a potential predator, it raises or elevates its tail to make the white fur visible.

In contrast to horns, the antlers on the heads of these animals are not covered with keratin.

The Indian hog deer's eyes are on the sides of their head which gives them a wide view of about 310 degrees and they can see with their eyes without turning their head but because of this, they cannot focus on one point.

These animals can hear high-pitched noises or sounds that cannot be heard or perceived by human ears because of their highly developed auditory sense.

These animals are known to have a good sense of smell and they lick their noses a number of times to make or keep them moist. This is done in order to allow the odor particles to stick to its nose and have a better or enhanced olfaction.

Fawns do not have or produce any scent and this helps them to save themselves from predators and as mentioned, they are kept in protected spaces where the mother visits to suckle or feed them.

The predator populations include tigers, leopards, and clouded leopards.

The research about these animals by Samba Kumar and his team is very popular.

Is the Indian Hog Deer endangered?

The status of this Hog Deer is Endangered and there are treaties being signed to update the status to Critically Endangered as the population is declining. The population is declining due to habitat fragmentation, alteration, and poaching threats. It is protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and some schedules have forbidden hunting Indian hog deer.

What is unique about the Indian Hog Deer?

One of the unique features of this deer are its antlers. The antlers have an acute angle between the brow tine and main beam. The inner tops of the antlers are shorter and they angle backward from the main beam and across to the opposite antler. Also, it is believed that these are sedentary animals and do not migrate.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including kobs, or the alpine ibex.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Indian hog deer coloring pages.

‍