புள்ளிமான் (Spotted Deer)
புள்ளிமான் இனமானது இந்திய 1972 வன உயிரினப்பாதுகாப்புச்சட்டத்தின்படி பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு வன உயிரினமாகும். இச்சட்டத்தின் அட்டவணை 3 (Schedule III) -ல் காணப்படுகிறது. இதனை வேட்டையாடுவது சட்டப்படி குற்றமாகும்.
புள்ளிமான் இந்தியா, இலங்கை, நேபாளம், வங்கதேசம், பூட்டான் ஆகிய நாடுகளின் வனப்பகுதிகளில் வாழும் ஒரு வகை மான் இனம் ஆகும். இது பாக்கிஸ்தானிலும் சிறு அளவில் காணப்படுகிறது. இந்தியக் காடுகளில் அதிகம் காணப்படும் மானினம் இதுவேயாகும். இது தெலுங்கானாவின் மாநில விலங்காகும்.
இதன் தோல் பழுப்பு நிறத்திலும் வெள்ளைப் புள்ளிகளுடனும் காணப்படும். இதன் காரணமாகவே இது புள்ளிமான் என்றழைக்கப்படுகிறது. இதன் அடிப்பாகம் வெண்ணிறத்தில் இருக்கும். இது ஆண்டுக்கு ஒரு முறை கொம்பினை உதிர்க்கும். பொதுவாக மூன்று கிளைகளாகப் பிரிந்திருக்கும் இதன் கொம்பு இரண்டரை அடி நீளம் வரை வளரும். புள்ளிமான்கள் மூன்று அடி உயரம் வரையும் 85 கிலோ எடை வரையும் வளரும். ஆண் மான்கள் பெண்மான்களை விட உருவில் பெரியதாக இருக்கும். இது 8 முதல் 14 ஆண்டுகள் வரை வாழும்.
Description
The chital or cheetal (Axis axis), also known as spotted deer or axis deer, is a species of deer that is native in the Indian subcontinent. The species was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, male chital reach nearly 90 centimetres and females 70 centimeters at the shoulder, the head-and-body length is around 1.7 metres. While males weigh 30–85 kilograms, the lighter females weigh 25–45 kilograms. The species is sexually dimorphic: males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. The abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears and tail are all white. The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly 1 meter long.
A conspicuous black stripe runs along the spine (back bone). Chital have well-developed preorbital glands (near the eyes) which have stiff hairs. They also have well-developed metatarsal glands and pedal glands located in their hind legs. The preorbital glands, larger in males than in females, are frequently opened in response to certain stimuli.
Each of the antlers has three lines on it. The brow tine (the first division in the antler) is roughly perpendicular to the beam (the central stalk of the antler). Antlers, as in most other cervids, are shed annually. The antlers emerge as soft tissues (known as velvet antlers) and progressively harden into bony structures (known as hard antlers), following mineralisation and blockage of blood vessels in the tissue, from the tip to the base. A study of the mineral composition of the antlers of captive barasinga, chital and hog deer showed that the horns of the deer are very similar. The mineral content of the chital's horns was determined to be (in milligram and ounce per kilogram): 6.1 milligrams (0.00022 oz) copper, 8.04 milligrams (0.000284 oz) cobalt and 32.14 milligrams (0.001134 oz) zinc.
Hooves measure between 4.1 and 6.1 centimetres (1.6 and 2.4 in) in length; hooves of the forelegs are longer than those of the hindlegs. The toes taper to a point. The dental formula is 0.1.3.33.1.3.3, same as the elk. The milk canine, nearly 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long, falls off before one year of age, but is not replaced by a permanent tooth as in other cervids.
Compared to the hog deer, the chital has a more cursorial build. The antlers and brow tines are longer than those in the hog deer. The pedicles (the bony cores from which antlers arise) are shorter and the auditory bullae are smaller in the chital.[15] The chital may be confused with the fallow deer. The chital is darker and has several white spots, whereas the fallow deer has white splotches. The chital has a prominent white patch on its throat, while the throat of the fallow deer is completely white. The hairs are smooth and flexible.
Ecology and behavior
Chital are active throughout the day. In the summer, time is spent in rest under shade and the sun's glare is avoided if the temperature reaches 80 °F (27 °C); activity peaks as dusk approaches. As days grow cooler, foraging begins before sunrise and peaks by early morning. Activity slows down during midday, when the animals rest or loiter about slowly. Foraging recommences by late afternoon and continues till midnight. They fall asleep a few hours before sunrise, typically in the forest which is cooler than the glades. These deer typically move in a single file on specific tracks, with a distance of two to three times their width between them, when on a journey, typically in search of food and water sources. A study in the Gir National Park (Gujarat, India) showed that chital travel the most in summer of all seasons. When cautiously inspecting its vicinity, the chital will stand motionless and hear with rapt attention, facing the potential danger if any. This stance may be adopted by nearby individuals as well. As an anti-predator measure, chital will flee in groups (unlike the hog deer that disperse on alarm); sprints are often followed by hiding in dense undergrowth. The running chital has its tail raised, exposing the white underparts. The chital can leap and clear fences as high as 1.5 metres (4.9 ft), but prefers to dive under them. It stays within 300 metres (980 ft) of cover.
Diet
Chital graze when grasses are available, else they browse.
Grazers as well as browsers, the chital mainly feed on grasses throughout the year. They prefer young shoots, in the absence of whose tall and coarse grasses will be nibbled off at the tips. Browse forms a major portion of the diet only in the winter months-October to January-when the grasses, tall or dried up, are no more palatable. Browse includes herbs, shrubs, foliage, fruits and forbs; Moghania species are often preferred while browsing. Ficus species from January to May, Cordia myxa from May to June, Syzygium cumini from June to July. Chital are generally silent whe n grazing together. Males often stand on their hindlegs to reach tall branches. Water holes are visited nearly twice daily, with great caution. Chital in the Sunderbans may be omnivores; remains of red crabs have been found in the rumen of individuals.
Reproduction
Sexual maturity is reached within Breeding takes place throughout the year, with peaks that vary geographically. Sperms are produced year-round, though testosterone levels register a fall during the development of the antlers. Females have regular oestrus cycles, each lasting three weeks. The female can conceive again two weeks to four months after the birth. Males sporting hard antlers are dominant over those in velvet or those without antlers, irrespective of their size. Courtship is based on tending bonds. A rutting male fasts during the mating season and follow and guard a female in oestrus. The pair will do several bouts of chasing and mutual licking before copulation.
After a gestation period of 210 - 225 days 1 or sometimes 2 fawns are born. At birth the young weigh approximately 3 kgs and they are nursed by their mother until they reach 6 months old.
Chital reach sexual maturity at 12 - 14 months old and they usually produce young each year.
The newborn is hidden for a week after birth, a period much shorter than most other deer. The mother-fawn bond is not very strong, as the two get separated often, though they can reunite easily as the herds are cohesive. If the fawn dies, the mother can breed once again so as to give birth twice that year. The males continue their growth till seven to eight years. The average lifespan in captivity is nearly 22 years. The longevity in the wild, however, is merely five to ten years.
Conservation status
The chital is listed by the IUCN as being of least concern "because it occurs over a very wide range within which there are many large populations". Currently, no range-wide threats to chitals are present, and they live in many protected areas. However, population densities are below ecological carrying capacity in many places due to hunting and competition with domestic livestock. Hunting for the deer's meat has caused substantial declines and local extinctions. The axis deer is protected under Schedule III of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and under the Wildlife (Preservation) (Amendment) Act, 1974 of Bangladesh. Two primary reasons for its good conservation status are its legal protection as a species and a network of functioning protected areas.
The chital has been introduced to Andaman Islands, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Point Reyes National Seashore near San Francisco, California, Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Hawaii in the United States, and to the Veliki Brijun Island in the Brijuni Archipelago of the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia.
புள்ளிமான் இனமானது இந்திய 1972 வன உயிரினப்பாதுகாப்புச்சட்டத்தின்படி பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு வன உயிரினமாகும். இச்சட்டத்தின் அட்டவணை 3 (Schedule III) -ல் காணப்படுகிறது. இதனை வேட்டையாடுவது சட்டப்படி குற்றமாகும்.
புள்ளிமான் இந்தியா, இலங்கை, நேபாளம், வங்கதேசம், பூட்டான் ஆகிய நாடுகளின் வனப்பகுதிகளில் வாழும் ஒரு வகை மான் இனம் ஆகும். இது பாக்கிஸ்தானிலும் சிறு அளவில் காணப்படுகிறது. இந்தியக் காடுகளில் அதிகம் காணப்படும் மானினம் இதுவேயாகும். இது தெலுங்கானாவின் மாநில விலங்காகும்.
இதன் தோல் பழுப்பு நிறத்திலும் வெள்ளைப் புள்ளிகளுடனும் காணப்படும். இதன் காரணமாகவே இது புள்ளிமான் என்றழைக்கப்படுகிறது. இதன் அடிப்பாகம் வெண்ணிறத்தில் இருக்கும். இது ஆண்டுக்கு ஒரு முறை கொம்பினை உதிர்க்கும். பொதுவாக மூன்று கிளைகளாகப் பிரிந்திருக்கும் இதன் கொம்பு இரண்டரை அடி நீளம் வரை வளரும். புள்ளிமான்கள் மூன்று அடி உயரம் வரையும் 85 கிலோ எடை வரையும் வளரும். ஆண் மான்கள் பெண்மான்களை விட உருவில் பெரியதாக இருக்கும். இது 8 முதல் 14 ஆண்டுகள் வரை வாழும்.
Spotted Deer
Description
The chital or cheetal (Axis axis), also known as spotted deer or axis deer, is a species of deer that is native in the Indian subcontinent. The species was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, male chital reach nearly 90 centimetres and females 70 centimeters at the shoulder, the head-and-body length is around 1.7 metres. While males weigh 30–85 kilograms, the lighter females weigh 25–45 kilograms. The species is sexually dimorphic: males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. The abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears and tail are all white. The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly 1 meter long.
A conspicuous black stripe runs along the spine (back bone). Chital have well-developed preorbital glands (near the eyes) which have stiff hairs. They also have well-developed metatarsal glands and pedal glands located in their hind legs. The preorbital glands, larger in males than in females, are frequently opened in response to certain stimuli.
Each of the antlers has three lines on it. The brow tine (the first division in the antler) is roughly perpendicular to the beam (the central stalk of the antler). Antlers, as in most other cervids, are shed annually. The antlers emerge as soft tissues (known as velvet antlers) and progressively harden into bony structures (known as hard antlers), following mineralisation and blockage of blood vessels in the tissue, from the tip to the base. A study of the mineral composition of the antlers of captive barasinga, chital and hog deer showed that the horns of the deer are very similar. The mineral content of the chital's horns was determined to be (in milligram and ounce per kilogram): 6.1 milligrams (0.00022 oz) copper, 8.04 milligrams (0.000284 oz) cobalt and 32.14 milligrams (0.001134 oz) zinc.
Hooves measure between 4.1 and 6.1 centimetres (1.6 and 2.4 in) in length; hooves of the forelegs are longer than those of the hindlegs. The toes taper to a point. The dental formula is 0.1.3.33.1.3.3, same as the elk. The milk canine, nearly 1 centimetre (0.39 in) long, falls off before one year of age, but is not replaced by a permanent tooth as in other cervids.
Compared to the hog deer, the chital has a more cursorial build. The antlers and brow tines are longer than those in the hog deer. The pedicles (the bony cores from which antlers arise) are shorter and the auditory bullae are smaller in the chital.[15] The chital may be confused with the fallow deer. The chital is darker and has several white spots, whereas the fallow deer has white splotches. The chital has a prominent white patch on its throat, while the throat of the fallow deer is completely white. The hairs are smooth and flexible.
Ecology and behavior
Chital are active throughout the day. In the summer, time is spent in rest under shade and the sun's glare is avoided if the temperature reaches 80 °F (27 °C); activity peaks as dusk approaches. As days grow cooler, foraging begins before sunrise and peaks by early morning. Activity slows down during midday, when the animals rest or loiter about slowly. Foraging recommences by late afternoon and continues till midnight. They fall asleep a few hours before sunrise, typically in the forest which is cooler than the glades. These deer typically move in a single file on specific tracks, with a distance of two to three times their width between them, when on a journey, typically in search of food and water sources. A study in the Gir National Park (Gujarat, India) showed that chital travel the most in summer of all seasons. When cautiously inspecting its vicinity, the chital will stand motionless and hear with rapt attention, facing the potential danger if any. This stance may be adopted by nearby individuals as well. As an anti-predator measure, chital will flee in groups (unlike the hog deer that disperse on alarm); sprints are often followed by hiding in dense undergrowth. The running chital has its tail raised, exposing the white underparts. The chital can leap and clear fences as high as 1.5 metres (4.9 ft), but prefers to dive under them. It stays within 300 metres (980 ft) of cover.
Diet
Chital graze when grasses are available, else they browse.
Grazers as well as browsers, the chital mainly feed on grasses throughout the year. They prefer young shoots, in the absence of whose tall and coarse grasses will be nibbled off at the tips. Browse forms a major portion of the diet only in the winter months-October to January-when the grasses, tall or dried up, are no more palatable. Browse includes herbs, shrubs, foliage, fruits and forbs; Moghania species are often preferred while browsing. Ficus species from January to May, Cordia myxa from May to June, Syzygium cumini from June to July. Chital are generally silent whe n grazing together. Males often stand on their hindlegs to reach tall branches. Water holes are visited nearly twice daily, with great caution. Chital in the Sunderbans may be omnivores; remains of red crabs have been found in the rumen of individuals.
Reproduction
Sexual maturity is reached within Breeding takes place throughout the year, with peaks that vary geographically. Sperms are produced year-round, though testosterone levels register a fall during the development of the antlers. Females have regular oestrus cycles, each lasting three weeks. The female can conceive again two weeks to four months after the birth. Males sporting hard antlers are dominant over those in velvet or those without antlers, irrespective of their size. Courtship is based on tending bonds. A rutting male fasts during the mating season and follow and guard a female in oestrus. The pair will do several bouts of chasing and mutual licking before copulation.
After a gestation period of 210 - 225 days 1 or sometimes 2 fawns are born. At birth the young weigh approximately 3 kgs and they are nursed by their mother until they reach 6 months old.
Chital reach sexual maturity at 12 - 14 months old and they usually produce young each year.
The newborn is hidden for a week after birth, a period much shorter than most other deer. The mother-fawn bond is not very strong, as the two get separated often, though they can reunite easily as the herds are cohesive. If the fawn dies, the mother can breed once again so as to give birth twice that year. The males continue their growth till seven to eight years. The average lifespan in captivity is nearly 22 years. The longevity in the wild, however, is merely five to ten years.
Conservation status
The chital is listed by the IUCN as being of least concern "because it occurs over a very wide range within which there are many large populations". Currently, no range-wide threats to chitals are present, and they live in many protected areas. However, population densities are below ecological carrying capacity in many places due to hunting and competition with domestic livestock. Hunting for the deer's meat has caused substantial declines and local extinctions. The axis deer is protected under Schedule III of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and under the Wildlife (Preservation) (Amendment) Act, 1974 of Bangladesh. Two primary reasons for its good conservation status are its legal protection as a species and a network of functioning protected areas.
The chital has been introduced to Andaman Islands, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Point Reyes National Seashore near San Francisco, California, Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Hawaii in the United States, and to the Veliki Brijun Island in the Brijuni Archipelago of the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia.
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