Hog Deer - South Pacific | Online Record Book Preview

Axis porcinus

Ciervo porcino (Sp), Schweinshirsch (G), Cerf cochon (F). Called para in Hindustani.

DESCRIPTION (male) Shoulder height 24-29 inches (61-74 cm). Weight 80-100 pounds (36-45 kg). Females are smaller.

The smallest deer in Australia, roughly the size of a big dog. Its build is low and heavy, with legs and face comparatively short. This appearance, together with its characteristic of rushing through grass with its head down (like a pig), is the basis for its common name. The general color is brown, or yellowish-brown. Buttocks, underside of tail and inside of ears are white. Fawns are spotted, and faint white spots can sometimes be seen on younger adults, especially in early summer. The tail is medium-long and well-haired, and is sometimes displayed as a white "flag" when the animal runs off. Typical antlers have three points to a side-the main beam plus two tines. A short brow tine emerges from the burr as a fork with the main beam, and a short inner top tine comes off the inside of the beam to form a weak terminal fork. Some hog deer antlers will exhibit additional tines, which usually take the form of extra inner tops. Such tines are always non-typical.

BEHAVIOR Usually found alone or in pairs, rarely more than 3-4 together. Breeding season in Australia peaks in February and March.

Feeds on grasses, leaves and shoots, and is particularly fond of crops. Normally diurnal, becoming nocturnal when hunted hard. Eyesight and hearing are good, sense of smell is excellent. Runs low to the ground with its head down, seldom leaping or bounding. A good swimmer, it readily takes to the water when pursued, and is frequently found in water up to its belly, feeding along edges of swamps. When alarmed, both sexes call with a whistling sound, followed by a coughing bark. During the rut, males grunt "like old men."

HABITAT Low-lying swamps and river flats with dense riverine grass and scrub. Also sandy coastal plains.

DISTRIBUTION Southeastern Victoria in Australia, where they occur roughly from Wilson's Promontory to Bairnsdale, and also on a number of small offshore islands, notably Snake Island. This is the only wild and free population of hog deer outside the Asian mainland and Sri Lanka.

REMARKS Hog deer from India were introduced in Victoria, Australia, in 1858. They are an excellent game animal and a small, difficult target. Alert and wary, they spend their days in thick cover where they are unlikely to be detected.