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Axis porcinus

(Cerf-cochon)

Overview

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Endangered

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Dutch:

Varkenshert, Zwijnshert

Common Names in English:

Hog Deer, Indochinese Hog Deer, Thai Hog Deer

Common Names in French:

Cerf-cochon, Cerf Des Marais, Cerf-cochon D'Indochine

Common Names in Spanish:

Ciervo Porquerizo De Indochina

Description

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Habitat

Biome: Terrestrial ; Freshwater [1].

Ecology: Hog Deer have usually been reported from habitat consisting of wet or moist tall grasslands, often associated with medium- to large-sized rivers (Bhowmik et al. 1999; Biswas and Mathur 2000; Biswas 2004), and appears to reach its highest densities in floodplain grasslands (Seidensticker 1976; Dhungel and OGara 1991; Karanth and Nichols 2000; Odden et al. 2005). It avoids closed-canopy forest , but will use coastal grasslands (e.g. Peacock 1933). Johnsingh et al. (2004) considered Hog Deer to be an obligate grassland species in the Terai Arc Landscape of India, and studies in India and Nepal have show a preference for grasslands dominated by Imperata cylindrical (Biswas 2004 and references therein). Similar alluvial floodplain grassland seems to be used in Thailand and Indochina (Maxwell et al. 2007; Clark undated; R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2006). In Bardia National Park, measured densities were much higher in the floodplain association than in the riverine association, and no Hog Deer were found in adjacent Sal Shorea robusta forest at all (Odden et al. 2005). The remnant population in Bangladesh is located in grassy, lightly wooded, hill country (Khan 2004). Similar habitats are used by Hog Deer in India, where they are seem to be marginal habitats supporting only low-density populations (Anwaruddin Choudhury pers. comm. 2006): they may historically have been primarily sink populations. The reintroduced semi-wild populations in Thailand occupy a variety of habitats for which there is no evidence of use by wild populations in Thailand, Lao PDR, Viet Nam or Cambodia. One of the few detailed historical accounts of an abundant population in South-east Asia was from extensive tall floodplain grasslands in the Dong Nai catchment , Viet Nam (Clark undated). Hog Deer is a primarily a grazer of young grasses, particularly Imperata cylindrica and Saccharum spp. ; it also takes herbs, flowers, fruits, and browse (young leaves and shoots of shrubs ) (Bhowmik et al. 1999; Dhungel and OGara 1991; Bisawas 2004; Wegge et al. 2006). It is much more a grazer and less a browser than is the Sambar Rusa unicolor. Introduced animals occur in scrub and cinnamon gardens in Sri Lanka, where they cause considerable damage to home crops (McCarthy and Dissanayake 1992).

Where undisturbed, Hog Deer tend to be crepuscular, with significant day-time activity and some at night, especially in the hot and wet seasons (Dhungel and OGara 1991). In some areas it seems to have become more nocturnal and solitary (e.g. Cambodia; R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008), presumably through hunting pressure . The main social group is a female and fawn. When more Hog Deer are together, they do not form a strong "unit ", fleeing when flushed in different directions rather than as one. In Chitwan, aggregations of up to 20 animals have been observed feeding on new shoots following fire (Dhungel and OGara 1991). In Kaziranga, aggregations of 4080 animals are frequently seen on grazing grounds created by Great Indian Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis and/or short grasslands near large water bodies (N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008, based on observations in 1996). Home ranges vary widely in size, but average about 570 ha, depending on how the range is defined (Dhungel and OGara 1991; Odden et al. 2005). In Chitwan, Hog Deer are essentially sedentary (Dhungel and OGara (1991), but in cultivated landscapes (Sri Lanka) movements are reported to be influenced by agricultural seasons (McCarthy and Dissanayake 1992). They move into higher-lying grasslands in response to monsoon flooding in India, Myanmar and presumably throughout their range (Peacock 1933; Q. Qureshi pers. comm. 1995). The rut is during SeptemberOctober in Nepal and India and (presumably based on captives) during SeptemberFebruary in China. 12 fawns are born during AprilMay in Nepal and during AprilOctober in China. Gestation period is 220230 days (Dhungel and OGara 1991; Sheng and Ohtaishi 1993). Fawns wean at six months, reaching sexual maturity at 812 months. The maximum recorded life span is 20 years.[1].

List of Habitats:

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 22-Apr-2004

Current research suggests that Hog Deer should be included within the genus Hyelaphus, together with calamianensis and kuhlii (Meijaard and Groves 2004; Pitra et al. 2004); it is also sometimes listed under Cervus porcinus. Two subspecies are generally recognized, the nominate and A. p. annamiticus (type locality in Viet Nam), although there has been no recent re-evaluation, and the relative historical distributions of these subspecies and nature of contact between them, if any, remain unclear (Maxwell et al. 2007). South Asian and Myanmar populations appear to be spotted when young, while those in southern Viet Nam and Kratie, Cambodia, appear to lack spotting when young (Peacock 1933; Clark undated; R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008 based on WWF Cambodia unpublished data and specimens in the AMNH; see also Maxwell et al. 2007).[1].

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Axis

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 5 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. axis (Spotted Deer) · A. calamianensis (Calamian Hog Deer) · A. kuhlii (Bawean Hog Deer) · A. porcinus (Indochinese Hog Deer) · A. porcinus annamiticus (Indochinese Hog Deer)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 03, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Timmins, R.J., Duckworth, J.W., Samba Kumar, N., Anwarul Islam, Md., Sagar Baral, H., Long, B. & Maxwell, A. 2008. Axis porcinus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 30 January 2012. [back]
Last Revised: 5/8/2012