The chital or cheetal (Axis axis)
The chital or cheetal (Axis axis), also known as chital deer, spotted deer or axis deer, is an elegant deer with yellowish-golden pelage marked with white sports. The body length of the axis deer may reach 150 cm, its height at the shoulders is about 100 cm and it weighs up to 80 kg. The males have branched antlers with long tines. These deer are found in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The axis deer were introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Hawaiian Islands, Brazil, and Argentina. These ungulates were known by ancient Romans. The axis deer were brought to the parks and hunting lands of Western Europe; they easily adapted to the mild climatic conditions but did not survive in the areas with severe winters and high snow cover. Some herds of axis deer have lived in Western Europe for over 150 years. Axis deer introduced to New Zealand bred successfully but had been exterminated, as they were damaging forests and settlers’ crops. In their native lands, these deer occupy tropical and subtropical rainforests, close to water reservoirs where they find shelter while fleeing from predators. The main foods of these deer are grasses, as well as leaves of trees and bushes. They live in small groups, but sometimes may form large herds of 20 to over 30 individuals. Like other deer inhabiting tropical areas, axis deer can mate and shed antlers throughout the year. The females usually give birth to two fawns but one or three is not uncommon. Gestation lasts 7 to 7.5 months, and the female can mate shortly after the birth of her offspring which means that she may give birth to two litters in 16 months.
