The Javan deer or Javan rusa Cervus timorensis
The Javan deer or Javan rusa is smaller and more graceful than the sambar. It has relatively long neck and small tail with sleek fur. Its coarse and fairly long hair form quite prominent mane on the animals’ scruff. This deer has a dark brown coat which is paler than that of the sambar, and the antlers that are not so heavy and thick. The Javan deer usually measure from 130 to 215 cm in body length; their height rangers from 80 to 110 cm, tail length, from 10 to 30 cm, and weight, from 80 to 125 kilograms. This species includes 8 subspecies that were formerly believed to be separate species. Javan deer are found in the islands of Java, Sulawezi and Lesser Sunda. These deer were also introduced to Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Comoro Islands. Javan deer inhabit grasslands and light forests, usually foraging in open areas, and using forests as shelters and resting places. Unlike sambars, Javan deer are not associated with water reservoirs, and live in large herds. In former times, local people collectively hunted Javan deer. Hunters riding domestic buffaloes rounded up large herd of the deer and killed dozens, and even hundreds of the animals with spears and swords. Excessive hunting and agricultural development resulted in dramatic decrease of the Javan deer populations, and some subspecies are threatened with extinction.
