Axis kuhlii (Temminck, 1836)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2011, Cervidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 350-443 : 415-416

15.

Bawean Deer

Axis kuhlii

French: Cerf de Kuhl / German: Bawean-Schweinshirsch / Spanish: Axis de Bawean

Taxonomy. Cervus kuhlii Temminck, 1836 ,

Bawean Island.

It has often been treated as a subspecies of A. porcinus and more recently it has been related to the extinct A. lydekkerii of Pleistocene. Fossils document an ancient occurrence in Java. The scientific name refers to the German naturalist H. Kuhl, who visited the East Indies in 1820-1821. Monotypic.

Distribution. Bawean I, offJava.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 130-140 cm, tail 17-20 cm, shoulder height 60-70 cm; weight of adult bucks 40-60 kg. Medium-sized short-legged deer with a bushy tail; males with prominent pedicles and relatively short three-tined antlers 30-45 cm in length. The coat is brown. Newborn fawns are not spotted. Pedicles begin to grow at six months of age, the first set of antlers at about eight months of age.

Habitat. It is more common in hilly secondary forests.

Food and Feeding. Primarily feeds on forbs and grasses but also on leaves and twigs.

Breeding. Males may reproduce in every month of the year. Mating season peaks between July and December and births between February and June. Pregnancy lasts about 225-230 days. There is a postpartum estrus; interbirth intervals are about nine months. Feral dogs and pythons are the main predators.

Activity patterns. Mainly nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. It is typically solitary.

Status and Conservation. CITES Annex I. Classified as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List. In the 1960s—-1970s hunting and conversion to teak plantations caused a decline of the population, which now numbers around 300-500 individuals. Hunting ban began in 1977.

Bibliography. Blouch & Atmosoedirdjo (1987), Groves & Grubb (1987), Meijaard & Groves (2004), Semiadi, Pudyatmoko et al. (2008), Semiadi, Subekti et al. (2003).

Figures

On followıng pages 16 Calamıan Deer (Axıs calamıanensıs) 17 Common Fallow Deer (Dama dama) 18 Persnun Fallow Deer (Dama mesopotamıca) 19 Sambar (Rusa unıoolon 20 Javan Deer (Rusa tlmoœnsls). 21 Phılıppıne Spotted Deer (Rusa alfredh 22 Phılıppıne Brown Deer (Husa manannal

Distribution. Bawean I, offJava.