Deers are beautiful and graceful animals. They are always associated with nobility, dignity and inner strength. In this article we will talk about axes, which are rightly considered the most beautiful representatives of their family. What does a deer axis look like? How is it different from its brothers? What lifestyle does it lead? We will answer all these questions below.
Deer Axis: Description
Axis is a slender, medium-sized deer. In appearance, it is slightly larger than a goat, but has longer legs and is taller than it. Males reach about 90 cm at the withers, “ladies” - about 75 cm, while the length of the body reaches 1.7 m. Axis horns are not too lush and branched, but rather long. Curving in the shape of a horseshoe, they can grow up to 75 centimeters upwards and always form only three branches: one long, which diverges at the top, and one short, at the very base.
As you can see in the photo, the Axis deer has a catchy and very eye-catching color. Since the animal comes from the tropics, it does not change all year round and does not depend on the changing seasons. Reddish brown deer fur is adorned with rows of white rounded spots. The throat and stomach of the axis are white, a black stripe runs along the back from the head to the tail. On the forehead, above the eyes there is a black mark in the form of a check mark.
Where does the axis deer live?
Axis species is the only representative of the genus Axis. It is widespread in nature, especially within its historical homeland - on the Indian subcontinent. Its number is constantly increasing, so it is possible to meet deer in local forests with high probability. Deer lives in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. It settles in the foothills of the Himalayas, in deciduous forests and high thickets, avoids dry and desert territories.
In the 20th century, axis was artificially bred outside of Asia, where it has successfully taken root and lives to this day. Today, it is found as an invasive species on the Croatian island of Rab, Texas and Hawaii in the USA, Armenia, Argentina, Uruguay, New Zealand, Brazil, and in the Ukrainian reserve Askania Nova. In Australia, the axis became the first imported deer; it is currently bred in the east of the country.
Lifestyle
Axis deer live in groups, forming herds from five to one hundred individuals. They consist of adult females and young individuals of any gender. Growing up, the males leave the herd, and the females remain with their mother.
Deer are most active in the early morning hours and during twilight. They do not like heat and hide from it in the dense forests during the day, resting in a secluded place. In search of food, they can disperse and move away from each other for several tens of meters.
They coexist peacefully with many ungulates, so deer hawks, nilgau antelopes and other species can travel with them. Axises get along well with some monkeys, “cooperating” with them on mutually beneficial conditions. So, next to them you can see the monkeys of the langurs. They dump the half-eaten leaves and fruits from the trees, which the deer then feed on. Those, in turn, quickly notice the presence of a predator nearby and warn the monkeys about the danger.
Nutrition
The main diet of axis deer is young grass and shoots. As winter approaches, when the grass coarsens, the animals switch to leaves, various parts of shrubs and fruits. They are happy to eat ficus, cordia mucosa fruits, plants of the genus Flemingia and fruits of jambolan. To reach high branches, deer can stand on their hind legs, stretching strongly up. They like to drink, especially in the heat. At least twice a day, animals approach water sources, but do so with great care, as danger can lurk everywhere.
Enemies of Axis
Deer axises are large and satisfying prey, so they have plenty of natural enemies. They are hunted by Asian lions, leopards, Bengal tigers, common and red Himalayan wolves, tiger pythons, swamp crocodiles. Young growth becomes prey for foxes and jackals.
Having sensed the danger, the axes do not scatter to the sides, such as pork deer, but stray into a heap of flocks. Animals can accelerate to 50 kilometers per hour and easily jump over a 1.5 meter obstacle. Having run away at a certain distance, they hide in the thick grass, literally "drowning" in its thickets. Often they seek salvation in the river, climbing on a safe island in the middle of a seething stream.
Breeding
The absence of pronounced seasonality in the tropics has led to the fact that axes do not have a clear mating season. Food is constant, which means that the favorable time for reproduction continues all year round.
Among males, there is a certain hierarchy; those individuals whose horns are the longest have an advantage in mating with a female. Young deer with horns covered with soft velvety skin are significantly inferior to them. But the competition does not end there. When a female estrus begins to estrus, the males fight for her, clutching their horns and trying to drop an opponent to the ground.
Mating is also preceded by mating games. For some time, deer run after each other and lick the chosen one. The offspring of axis deer appears after seven months of pregnancy and, as a rule, consists of two to three babies. The first week they are rather weak and hide near their mother. This is not a very long time, because in other deer it stretches for a longer period.
For about 7 weeks, children eat milk and gain strength, and then are able to find food themselves. Females of axes become fully grown and capable of reproduction after four years. Males - only after 7-8 years, during this time they manage to fold and renew horns more than once - the main determinant of their status.