Sri Lankan Sambar Deer

The Sri Lankan Sambar Deer (rusa unicolor unicolor) is a sub-species of the Sambar Deer. Sambar (rusa unicolor) is a large deer native to the southern and southeast Asia. It belongs to the family Cervidae and the order Artiodactyla. The name is also spelled sambur, or sambhur. In Sinhala it is called Gona and in Tamil it is called Marai.

Description

In general, they attain a height of 102 to 160 centimeters at the shoulder. Head and body length varies from 162 to 246 centimeters with a 25 to 30 centimeters tail. Individuals belonging to western subspecies tend to be larger than those from the east. Thus the Sri Lankan subspecies is one of the largest Sambar Deer species with the largest antlers both in size and in body proportions. Large males weight up to 270-280 kg. The large, rugged antlers are typical – the brow tines being simple and the beams forked at the tip, so that they have only three tines. The antlers are typically up to 110 centimeters long in fully adult individuals. As with most deer, only the males have antlers. The shaggy coat can be anything from brown to dark grey in color. Sambars also have a small but dense mane, which tends to be more prominent in males.

Habitat & Diet

Sambars prefer the dense cover of deciduous shrubs and grasses, although the exact nature of this varies enormously with the environment. They mostly live in lowland dry forest and montane forest. Large herds of Sambar roam the Horton Plains National Park, where it is the most common large mammal. Sambars primarily live in woodland and feed on a wide variety of vegetation, including grasses, foliage, fruit, and water plants, depending on the local habitat. They are seldom found far from water. They also consume a great variety of shrubs and trees.

Behaviour

Sambars are nocturnal or crepuscular (active during twilight). The males live alone for much of the year, and the females live in small herds. This is an unusual pattern for deer, which more commonly live in larger groups. They often congregate near water, and are good swimmers. They are generally quiet, although the males bellow during the rut, and all adults can scream or make short, high-pitched sounds when alarmed. However, they more commonly communicate by scent marking and foot stamping. They are gentle animals although they can be defensive when threatened. Though they mate and reproduce year-round, Sambar calving peaks seasonally. Gestation lasts around eight months and usually only one calf is born at a time.

Threats & Conservation

The main threat to the Sri Lankan Sambar population is deforestation and environmental pollution. Humans pose the next threat as Sambars are hunted and poached for their meat, hide and antlers. Sambars are not usually hunted by other predators since they are very big animals although the young sambars are targeted. Although the IUCN has listed it under Least Concern there are several conservation projects to preserve the Sambar population in the island.