Hog Deer - Howletts Wild Animal Park, Kent, England - Sunday November 16th 2008. Click here to see the Larger image

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This lil deer is dedicated to "Alfredo11" ~ Who's awesome images can be seen here ~ www.flickr.com/photos/alfredo11/ ~ Thanks for the wonderful testimonal my friend...I am sure you wrote some wonderful things...however, it's not in a language I understand, so I will have to take your word for it...lol I'd also like to dedicate this image to my new bessie mate Martina ~ See her stunning images here ~ www.flickr.com/photos/14616031@N08/ ~ Believe me, you won't be sorry...well, if you are male with a palse anyway..lol..:O))

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ~ The Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) is a small deer whose habitat ranges from Pakistan, through northern India, to mainland southeast Asia. There are two subspecies of hog deer: Axis porcinus porcinus which inhabits much of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, southwestern Yunnan Province in China, all the way to western Thailand. Axis porcinus annamiticus that inhabits Thailand, and Indochina. Introduced populations also exist in Australia, the United States and Sri Lanka. The hog deer gets its name from the hog-like manner in which it runs through the forests with its head hung low so that it can duck under obstacles instead of leaping over them like most other deer. Cover is taken as soon as it is feasible. During flight, the tail is held erect, showing the white underside. Hog deer are gregarious only when conditions are favorable and do not form a "unit" at these times, fleeing in different directions rather than in a herd. When alarmed, hog deer make a whistling vocalization or a warning bark. Home ranges vary widely in size, but average about 0.70 km². Males are aggressive, and may become territorial at low population densities, marking the boundaries with glandular secretions. During the rut, males gather in open meadows, pawing the ground during antagonistic encounters. Harems are not created, with males courting and defending a single female at any given time. Unlike many other deer species, hog deer do not have a rutting call. Population densities may be as low as 0.1 animals per square kilometer in riverine valleys, rising to over 19 individuals per square kilometer in grassy flood plains. Varieties ~ There are two small, separate but similar island hog deer species: The Bawean Deer (Axis kuhlii) of Bawean Island in Indonesia, and the Calamian Deer (Axis calamianensis) of the Calamian Group of Islands in the Philippines that inhabit moist or dry tropical deciduous forest environments. Unlike the hog deer (Axis porcinus) of the Asian mainland, their fawns are not spotted at birth. These island hog deer may be remnants of a widespread population of hog deer that at one time were connected to the hog deer populations of mainland Southeast Asia and inhabited vast areas of the Sunda Shelf during times of lower ocean levels.

Predators: Bengal tigers, leopards, and pythons

Measurements: Head & Body Length- 105 to 115 cm Shoulder height- 60 to 75 cm Tail length- 17 to 21 cm Weight- 50 to 110 kg

Physical Appearance ~ The Hog Deer has a rather stocky appearance, having short legs and a muscular body. This rather pig like stature resulted in it being given its name of the Hog Deer. The coat is a dark brownish colour. And as is seen in some other Cervid species a dark black stripe runs down the spine from the neck to the base of the tail. Males tend to be darker in colour than the females. The males grow antlers which have three tines and which grow up to 60 cm in length. As the Hog Deer is a tropical living species of deer the antlers can be cast and regrown in any season of the year. The tail is of medium length, the upperparts being brown in colour, while the under parts are white. Distribution ~ The Hog Deer is found in northern India and Pakistan. It is also found in parts of southeastern Asia. Its range and numbers have however fallen, because of over hunting and habitat loss. Most populations are now highly scattered and only small in number. The areas in which it prefers to live in are often suitable for human cultivation and settlement, and as the human population in the region has increased so the Hog Deer has disappeared from many places. Habitat ~ The Hog Deer likes areas with good levels of cover near to rivers and marshland areas. It can be found in dense reed beds, thick riverside vegetation and close to swamps in woodland. It does not like areas of very thick woodland and forest. Reproduction ~ The mating season takes place from September to December. Unlike other species of deer the Hog Deer does not try to collect together a harem of females with which to mate with, instead mating with a succession of females as they become receptive. Males fight fiercely using there antlers for the right to breed with females. Only the most dominant males get the chance to breed. The gestation period is about 220 to 240 days long, after which mostly a single calf is born. The female gives birth in a concealed location, mostly within thick vegetation. The calf remains hidden, and is visited by the mother to be suckled for the first few weeks of its life. After which time it begins to accompany the mother. The young are spotted at birth, but these spots fade as the calf grows and matures. The young reach maturity from about a year of age.