Mammals
Hog deer
Axis porcinus
The hog deer owes its name to the low, ungainly gait, pig-like, that it adopts when running through tall grass with its head down rather than leaping. It is a small, stocky, sturdy deer.
In short
The hog deer (Axis porcinus) is a species with IUCN conservation status EN (Endangered). It lives in wet alluvial grasslands and reed beds of great river plains. Animals in Black offers a fine-art portrait of it on a black background, available as a print on Hahnemühle paper: request the print.
Habitat & conservation
Where does the hog deer live?
It lives in wet alluvial grasslands and reed beds of great river plains. Solitary, it hides in dense vegetation and grazes tender grasses along rivers.
Is the hog deer endangered?
The IUCN Red List rates it Endangered (EN) with a sharply declining population. The conversion of alluvial grasslands to farmland, hunting and fragmentation have drastically reduced its range, now confined to a few protected areas.
Facts about the hog deer
- It runs with its head low through the grass instead of leaping, hence its name.
- It is tightly linked to the wet grasslands of great rivers.
- It survives mainly in a few protected areas of southern Asia.
Data source: IUCN Red List — Axis porcinus (Endangered)
RED List
Conservation status codes
- EX Extinct No individuals survive.
- EW Extinct in the wild Survives only in captivity.
- CR Critically endangered Extremely high risk of extinction.
- EN Endangered Very high risk of extinction.
- VU Vulnerable High risk of extinction.
- NT Near threatened Likely to become threatened soon.
- LC Least concern Low risk of extinction.
- DD Data deficient Not enough data to assess.
- NE Not evaluated Not yet assessed by the IUCN.