Sambar

About this species

Size

Shoulder height 102–160cm; head and body 1.62–2.7m; tail 22–35cm

Weight

Typically 100–350kg; up to 546kg

Habitat

Forests of the Indian subcontinent, South China and Southeast Asia

Range

Indian subcontinent, South China and Southeast Asia

The sambar is a large deer, the largest in its range and exceeded among deer only by the moose and the elk. It stands 102–160 cm at the shoulder and typically weighs 100–350 kg, though size varies widely across its range and western subspecies tend to be larger than eastern ones. The coat is shaggy, yellowish brown to dark grey and usually uniform, with a small dense mane that is more prominent in males, and a relatively long tail that is black above and whitish beneath. Only males carry the large, rugged antlers, which have just three tines and reach about 110 cm in fully adult animals (Wikipedia, general species account).

Adult males and pregnant or lactating females have an unusual hairless, blood-red spot halfway down the underside of the throat, apparently glandular, which sometimes oozes a white liquid. Seven subspecies are recognised, and the closest living relative is most likely the Javan rusa, with which the sambar can still produce fertile hybrids. Populations have declined substantially through hunting and the industrial exploitation of habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of Thailand guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)