Mammals · Artiodactyla · Cervidae
Sambar
Rusa unicolor
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The sambar is the largest deer in tropical Asia and the tiger's preferred prey over much of its range. It is robust, with a dark brown, coarse coat, a neck mane more pronounced in males and antlers with only three tines each. It is largely nocturnal and fairly solitary. It likes water: it wallows in mud and enters rivers and lagoons to eat aquatic plants. Its population has fallen by more than 50% in three generations through hunting and forest loss.
Weight
100 kg – 350 kg
Size
1.6 m – 2.7 m
Life expectancy
20 years
