Bawean Deer - Life History

Life History

Bawean deer Axis kuhlii reside on the Bawean island in Indonesia, close to the Java Sea. The bawean deer is sometimes included with the hog deer Axis porcinus (Haltenorth 1963), but it is a total different species (Groves and Grubb 1987; Grubb 2005). The most recent analyses indicate that these two species, together with calamianensis, constitute a different genus distinct from Axis, and Hyelaphus (Meijaard and Groves 2004, Pitra et al. 2004).

They live in woodlands and upland forests with dense undergrowth which is used for shelter, providing a refuge in which the deer sleep and rest during the day. They live in small groups of four or five deer mostly one female, the infant, and two males. They are herbivores and consume grasses, herbs, leaves, twigs, corn crops, and leaves of the cassave plants. Their pelage is short, smooth, and soft, and generally a light brown in color. There are few distinctive yellow markings which are limited to the head and neck, there is also a light throat patch or 'bib' and a whitish eye-ring, infants have white spots on their backs when younger. Females will have one offspring at a time per year. The gestation period is 225–230 days, and the majority of births occur in February to June.

Males can be very aggressive towards other males that approach their small families, and will spray other males, and predators in the face with their glandular secretions, but also mark their territories with this as well. When fleeing the bawean deer carries its head low and runs with a trotting gait. Their spine also curves high towards the rear when fleeing from predators. When fleeing from predators the males will run in front and infant if there is one will be behind the males, and the female will run in the back. This is effective in order to protect the infant from predators.