Common Name: Sambar Deer
Scientific Name: Cervus unicolor
Nepali Name: Jarayo ( जरायो )
Size: 150 cm (height)
Location: Chitwan National Park, Nepal
Samber Deers are found in grasslands, dense cover of deciduous shrubs and forests ranging from 75m elevation to 3000m. They are the largest deer in Nepal with the height of upto 150 cm till the sholder and weight around 225 – 320 kg. With a shaggy dark brown coat, the male has a very prominent dense mane, unlike the female which is smaller but still dense.
The adult males have a three-tined (parallel or branching spikes forming parts of a tool or natural object) antler measuring up to 110 cm but the females don’t have antlers. Sambars are nocturnal and do not herd together. During the breeding season, the stag will guard the hinds in their territory. Even though being a large deer, Sambers are very silent when they move through the forest.
They feed on a variety of shrubs, fruits, trees, water plants in shallow waters, grasses.
The picture above is of a female Samber Deer.
Please feel free to comment below if the above species has been misidentified.
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