Sambar (Rusa unicolor) deer are in the genus of Rusa (family Cervidae). It is called mountain horse by Hainan people.

Protection class

It is a Class I national protected animal. It is also listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Morphological characteristics

Sambar is a large deer widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a body length of 140-260 cm, a tail length of 20-30 cm, a shoulder height of 120-140 cm, and a weight of 100-200 kg or even up to 300 kg. A male sambar has long antlers as long as 1 meter with three terminal tines. Its fur color is light or dark brown, while that of the female deer is slightly reddish. Dark brown bristles are observed on the neck. The body hair is often chestnut brown and the rump patch is absent. The chin, inside of the limbs near the body, and the lower surface of the tail are all yellowish white.

What distinguish a sambar from other deer species is that it has smaller antlers and fewer tines; its front teeth can be moved; a palm-sized patch of inverse hairs is found on the neck; and the furs are curved in a circular, wavy shape.

Sambars are tall with thin coats of coarse hair. The dorsum of a male is dark brown throughout, with a slight yellowish tinge beneath. By contrast, a female has lighter and reddish color, or sometimes sepia and taupe. The dark brown longitudinal stripes along the mid-dorsal keel to the tail are one of the distinctive features of the sambar deer. It also has a long face, extensive snout, large and erect ears, and bigger eyes with obvious orbital glands that can grow as big as the eyes when the sambar becomes angry or frightened.

The limbs of a sambar are slender and powerful, with large main hooves and exceptionally small lateral hooves. The sides of the tail are densely covered with long fluffy hair that looks like a fan, and the hind tail is black, with a white ventral surface. Only the stags have long horns with a basal antler springing directly from the posterior and lateral sides of the forehead and pointing forwards, while the opposite antlers form a U shape. The antlers are simple and have brow tines in three directions. The tine is smooth while the base is coarse with a circle of bony humps. The antlers of sambar deer are as long as 70 to 80 cm, with the longest up to 125 cm.

Habitat

Sambars are confined to mid- to high-elevation tropical rainforests. Their habits are nocturnal. They will not make a lair in a place for long, but will move up or down along mountain slopes. Despite a large home range, they prefer to find shelters near water.

Habits

Sambars are sensitive, alert, good at running, and like to live in groups. They are normally active in the morning, evening and at night, and then rest during the day. They feed on the green grass near water, and also eat various wild fruits, shoots and leaves of trees. In summer, they are often found to bathe in the streams.

Reproduction

Stags and hinds can mate almost every month, but mostly in late summer and early autumn. The fertile period of hinds is about 6-8 months; rutting lasts 20 days on average; about 1-2 young ones are born at a time in the following spring, after a gestation period of 8-9 months; and the lactation period lasts from 12 to 24 months. Fawns usually have white spots. Sambars reach maturity at the age of 2 or 3, and have a lifespan of 14-16 years.