One of the 12 deer on WAnimals
Mammals · Artiodactyla · Cervidae
Chital
Axis axis
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The chital, or axis deer, is the most abundant deer in India and retains its white spots throughout life, not only as a fawn. It lives in large herds in open woodland with clearings and is the main prey of the tiger and the leopard over much of its range. It maintains a close association with Hanuman langurs: it follows the monkey troops to eat the fruit they drop from the canopy, and in return makes use of their alarm calls, which pick up predators from above.
Weight
30 kg – 110 kg
Size
1.1 m – 1.6 m
Life expectancy
15 years
