| Description:
Seen
here are a group of pugmarks made by a male Indian Sambar (Cervus
unicolor) on fine forest clay. Sambar (Hindi name) is found
all over India and also in Indonesia. There are six distinct
subspecies of the sambar, which vary in size and color. The
coat is bristly and long. Only the stags have antlers, which
usually have three tines each, and can reach a length of over
a yard. Length of head and body can reach nine feet, with the
tail adding another 12 inches. It stands up to five feet high
at the shoulders, and weighs over 700 pounds. Behavior: The
diet consists mainly of grass, leaves, and wild fruit. It is
not easy to catch a glimpse of the sambar, even where it is
numerous, because at the slightest sound it darts off into the
depths of the forest. If attacked by a tiger, leopard, or wild
dogs, it often takes to streams and swims away. Except for the
mating season, it is solitary. During the mating season the
stags acquire harems which they defend vigorously from rivals.
Reproduction: In central and southern India the females give
birth during May and early June, but reproduction occurs at
different times in other parts of its range. After an eight-month
gestation, one or occasionally two fawns are born, which are
nursed for a few
months. |
