DEERS

Common Name: Lesser Malay chevrotain / Mouse Deer

Family: TRAGULIDAE
Scientific Name: Tragulus javanicus
Bangla Name: Foitta / Khur-ala Khorgosh

People, especially Muslims, believe mouse deer to be a hare or rabbit having hooves instead of claws, and it is edible for them since they can eat only hooved mammals, excluding the wild boar, and are barred from eating clawed animals. The very size, smallest among the hooved mammals, hornless head, quiet and secretive nature remind us of the hares. It has four well-developed toes on each foot, the bones of the petty or side toes being complete. It is black brownish with occasional yellow spots, underside pale or sandy grey and there are three distinct white stripes on the throat. Head and body is 45 cm, tail rudimentary, height at the shoulder 25 cm and weighs 1.75 kg.

Over a hundred villagers, whom Dr. Reza have interviewed, have said they have either seen, killed or eaten such an animal, but he was not able to collect a specimen, not even parts of a mouse doer from the villagers who said they have eaten such an animal. I also heard about a hoofed hare in the Sylhet area. If at all present in the mainland forested areas it must be a rare animal.

Common Name: Indian Muntjac / Barking Deer

Family: CERVIDAE
Scientific Name: Muntiacus muntjak vaginalis
Bangla Name: Maya Horeen / Ruru Horeen / Kakar

An unmistakable medium-sized spotless deer. Back bright at chestnut brown, underside of body and tail white. A bony ridge extends from the base of the horn over the jaw. The male has a black line at the inner base of each horn running towards the snout, the incisors of upper jaw prolonged and extend beyond the mouth. The female's incisors small, forehead devoid of black line, no horn and in its place there is a bony ridge covered by a tuft of hairs. Annually shedded horns of male is fitted on a 10 cm long stalk. Head and body 90 cm, shoulder height 50 cm, tail 17 cm, similar to the length of the head, weighs 24 kg and horn 15 cm above the stalk.

Of all the deers, muntjac has the widest distribution, occurring in all types of forests, from the Sundarbans to the Teknaf peninsula, The population of Madhupur tract sal forest has declined appreciably. The North Bengal population has been totally wiped out by hunters and tribal santals.

Common Name: Spotted deer / Chital

Scientific Name: Cervus axis axis
Bangla Name: Chitra Horeen / Cheetal

Possibly the most beautiful mammal of Bangladesh. Fine smooth coat of reddish brown colour with numerous white spots over the entire body, underside of tail and body white, throat and chin distinctly white. Male has horns, each horn has three smooth branches - of the two upper ones the inner is always shorter than the outer, which is backwardly directed, length along the curvature is 75 cm and it is shedded annually. Head and body is 140 cm, tail 28 cm, shoulder height 75 cm and weighs 30 kg. The horn passes through a velvet stage.

In the sixties chital was found over most of the forested areas, its distribution is now limited only to the Sundarbans mangrove forest, more or less similar to the distribution of the tiger. The chital has been wiped out from the moist deciduous or sal and evergreen forests. Attempts to re-introduce them in the Hill Tracts district have failed. Recently attempts have been made to reintroduce them in the protected sal forests in the Gazipur National Park.

Common Name: Swamp Deer / Barasingha

Scientific Name: Cervus duvauceli duvauceli
Bangla Name: Barashingha / Jolar horeen

The swamp deer is ittle smaller than the sambar. The body colour ranges from yellow brown to chocolate brown, the underside of tail and body is white. Head and body 175 cm, tail with hairs 22 cm, ears 17 cm, shoulder height 112 cm. Each males horn have six branches, the largest one from the base along the curvature is 75 cm.

Swamp deer was not an uncommon animal in the Sundarbans mangrove and Sylhet forests back in the sixties. Hendrichs (1975), who worked in the Sundarbans during 1970-71, reported it extinct. There is no report of its sighting in the recent past, either there or in the Sylhet forest. It is feared extinct from Bangladesh (Khan 1984).

Common Name: Hog-deer

Scientific Name: Cervus porcinus porcinus
Bangla Name: Para / Natrini Horeen

It is little smaller than the spotted deer. Earthy brown or slate coloured with some occasional whitish or greyish spots, the innerside of ears and underside of tail is white, underparts pale, white spots prominent on body of yearling. Head and body 125 cm, tail 20 cm, shoulder height 54 cm and weighs 60 kg. The male has a pair of horns, each 30 cm in length having three branches, first directed upwards, of the upper two the inner one is smaller than the outer. It is also shed annually. The hog-deer occurred only in the forests of Sylhet and Sundarbans. The Sylhet population said to have disappeared during the liberation war of 1971. Neither Hendrichs (1975) nor others, including Dr. Reza had come across this deer in the Sundarbans during the last decade. It is feared extinct in Bangladesh (Khan 1982).

Common Name: Sambar

Scientific Name: Cervus unicolor niger
Bangla Name: Sambar Horeen

The largest and the heaviest deer of uniformly dark grey colour without any spot. Hairs on the body are rough and shaggy. The male has a sort of 'mane'. Head and body 180 cm, tail 30 cm, shorter than head length of 40 cm, ears 18 cm, weight 250 kg. Male's horn usually are 100 cm or so but earlier it used to be more than 150 cm. Each horn has three branches and small branchlets, may shed annually or retain the same for couple of years.

About two decades back sambar used to be quite common in the forests of Sylhet, Chittagong and Hill Tracts districts, but its now rare in all these forests mainly because of heavy hunting pressure and loss of forest cover. It has completely disappeared from the forested parts of Dhaka, Jamalpur, Mymensingh and Comilla-Noakhall.