Chital Deer

Chital deer, also known as spotted deer or axis deer, is a medium-sized, highly social deer native to the Indian subcontinent. Appearance: Chital has reddish-brown coats with white spots, white underbellies, and white throats and ears. Males are larger than females and have lyre-shaped antlers with three prongs that can grow up to 90 cm long. Behavior: Chital form small herds led by adult females and their offspring, and larger breeding herds. Grazers as well as browsers, the chital mainly feed on grasses throughout the year. They prefer young shoots, in the absence of which tall and coarse grasses are nibbled off at the tips. One of the major threats to the Axis deer population is natural predators such as tigers, leopards, and wild dogs. On the other hand, deforestation and subsequent loss of habitat also lead to the decline of the population.