? Chital Conservation status: Least concern (LR/lc)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae Genus: Axis Species: A. axis
Binomial name
Axis axis (Erxleben, 1777)

The chital (or cheetal) deer, also known as the spotted deer or axis deer is a large spotted deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of Sri Lanka and most of India. It is the most common deer in India. It has also been introduced to Australia and the United States, specifically Texas. Its coat is reddish fawn, marked with white spots, and its underparts are white. Its antlers, which it sheds annually, are usually three-pronged and curve in a lyre shape and may extend to 75 cm. Owing to the protracted breeding season of the Asian climate, births can occur throughout the year. For this reason, males do not have their antler cycles in synchrony to ensure that there are some fertile females at all times of the year. Males sporting hard antlers are dominant over those in velvet or those without antlers, irrespective of their size and other factors. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Image File history File links Axishirsch_jung. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Families Suidae Hippopotamidae Tayassuidae Camelidae Tragulidae Moschidae Cervidae Giraffidae Antilocapridae Bovidae The even-toed ungulates form the mammal order Artiodactyla. ... Genera About 15 in 4 subfamilies. ... Genera About 15 in 4 subfamilies. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben Institute of Veterinary Medicine of Georg-August-University Goettingen from 1771-1775, first and oldest academic Veterinary School in Germany Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben (June 22, 1744 - August 19, 1777) was a German naturalist. ... 1777 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 660 miles (1,065 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... A lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in Classical Antiquity. ...

Chital most commonly occur in herds of ten to fifty individuals comprised of one or two stags and a number of females and young. They are often fairly tolerant of approach by humans and vehicles, especially where they are accustomed to human disturbance. Genera About 15 in 4 subfamilies. ...

Chital eat primarily grasses and vegetation, but also eat their shed antlers as a source of nutrients. An area of grass-like plants Grass generally describes a monocotyledonous green plant characterized by slender leaves, called blades, which usually grow arching upwards from the ground. ... Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is, by far, the most abundant biotic element of the biosphere. ...

A chital stands about 90 cm tall at the shoulder and masses about 85 kg.

Lifespan is around 20-30 years. Herds consist of 30-50 females.

An interesting relationship has been observed between herds of Chital, and troops of Common Langur (Presbytis [Semnopithecus] entellus) a widespread leaf-eating monkey taxon of South Asia. Chital apparently benefit from the Langurs' good eyesight and ability to post a lookout in a treetop, helping to raise the alarm when a predator approaches. For the Langurs' part, the Chital's superior sense of smell would seem to assist in early predator warning, and it is common to see Langurs foraging on the ground in the presence of Chital. Alarm calls of either species can be indicative of the presence of a predator such as Tiger (Panthera tigris).

Miscellaneous

The Chital or the Indian Spotted Deer is called Harini or Duppi in the Telugu language. Jinke in Kannada, Maan in Tamil and Hiran in Hindi Harini is a South Indian film playback singer. ... Telugu (తెలుగు) (also Telegu) belongs to the Dravidian language family but with ample influence from the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family and is the official language of the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. ...

References

• Deer Specialist Group (1996). Axis axis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

• wildlywise.com
• BBC Science and Nature Wildfacts