Size : Body Length: 105-115 cm / 3.5-3.8 ft.

Description: The short coat is a uniform tawny brown in colouration, with males generally darkening with age. The subtle markings include a light patch on the throat just below the jowl, a white muzzle delineated by a darker band, and the white inner ears and surrounding ear base. The short, bushy tail has a white undersurface. Compared to the other "hog deer", the Calamian deer has relatively long legs, which are darker than the rest of the body. Even so, this diminutive deer is rather squat looking. Males bear three-pronged antlers which are mounted on forehead pedicels.

Reproduction : Gestation Period: 180 days. Young per Birth: 1, rarely 2.

Habits : Calamian deer are mainly active from dusk until dawn, when they emerge from their resting places in the undergrowth to graze in clearings and fields. If threatened, Calamian deer will creep with their heads held low to the ground into nearby cover, a habit which they share with their close relatives the hog deer and Bawean deer. Remaining low to the ground and hiding in dense vegetation may be an adaptation to aerial and arboreal predators. The primary vocalization is a soft, high-pitched nasal call.

Lifestyle : Family group: Small herds.

Diet: Leaves.

Interesting Information: The name "hog deer" arises from its habit of crashing through the undergrowth with its head down like a wild pig, rather than leaping over obstacles like other deer. Axis deer in general take readily to water and are said to be good swimmers. There are no large predators on the Calamian Islands, other than man.

Threats: Vulnerable due to limited range, habitat destruction and over-hunting. Forest clearance for settlement can actually increase the extent of the Calamian deer's natural habitat, since it prefers grassland and open forest to densely forested areas.
Conservation Efforts/Measures:

Photograph Information: Courtesy of William Oliver [left], Brent Huffman [right].