All the Facts & Info You Need to Know About Eld’s Deer
Known for being weird and obscure, Eld’s deer are now rare and endangered, and they are found in small populations.
Although their strange characteristics have made them famous, they were once familiar animals in vast areas. Unfortunately, human interference has resulted in the rapid decline of this species.
Learn more about these fascinating creatures below. Here’s a look at some interesting facts about these deer.
Breeding Season
The breeding season of the Eld’s deer occurs between Feb. and April.
This deer is a long-lived species that can live for up to 19 years. The species is commonly found in forests, meadows, and open fields.
Breeding season is the time when the females gather in groups of about 50 individuals. The males compete with the females for the female harem.
The Eld’s deer is an endangered species in Asia and has been severely reduced in the past due to hunting and habitat destruction.
Once common in Southeast Asia, their range included Vietnam, Cambodia, and Hainan Island in China.
Due to the rapid decline in their numbers, the species’ population is increasingly vulnerable to inbreeding, and it is at risk of becoming extinct due to widespread poaching and habitat loss.
This species once spanned the Hainan Island, but human hunting caused its population to diminish.
A natural sanctuary was established in the Datian Nature Reserve to protect the Eld’s deer. While it has been endangered for many years, there is still hope for the species.
The breeding season of Eld’s deer has become an important topic of study in Southeast Asia. If you are interested in knowing more about the Eld’s deer, you can visit one of our sanctuaries in China.
The lack of genetic variation in the Eld’s deer’s population raises serious conservation concerns. While the species is not sampled range-wide, it can be identified and mapped by microsatellite analyses.
With such data, it is possible to assess population size and genetic diversity. Knowledge of genetic diversity is crucial for planning effective conservation breeding strategies and management of the species.
This research provides important information for the management of the Eld’s deer. Despite the threat to the Eld’s deer, the species is making progress in China.
There are many studies and translocations of the species that have improved their conditions.
The Hainan Datian Nature Reserve, established in 1976, is a vital part of the island’s ecosystem, and its population is now increasing by 15 percent annually.
In addition, a community education project was initiated in the area to increase public awareness of deer.
Diet
The phylogeny of the Eld’s deer can be traced back to the late Pleistocene, when Northeast India was dominated by grassland habitats.
Several species of Eld’s deer have been separated due to the dynamic influence of climatic variables, including rising sea levels. Several subspecies of Eld’s deer have adapted to different ecological niches, facilitating diversification.
Due to their reliance on fruit, the Eld’s Deer are vital in the structure of plant communities. They browse on grass and feed on various fruits during different seasons.
Moreover, they don’t mind consuming dead plants, too. While some species of deer have been extinct for several centuries, the population of Eld’s Deer has only increased by 50 percent in the past 15 years.
Because the habitats of Eld’s Deer are ideal for farming, their numbers are decreasing as humans grow.
Increasing human populations have driven these animals out of their natural habitats, which is a shame because the Thamin eat many types of plants.
Their diet includes both herbs and water plants, along with shoots. The average life span of an Eld’s Deer is 10 years, and they typically shed their antlers during the breeding season.
Female Eld’s deer are found alone or in pairs, although the male can form herds of fifty or more. During mating season, female Eld’s deer gather in herds of up to 50 individuals.
Males move around alone, except for rutting, which occurs between February and April. They give birth to one fawn during this period and then hide the fawn until the breeding season is over.
The hind hides the young immediately after birth by hiding them in the long grass.
The Eld’s deer’s diet overlapped with the diet of hog deer by more than 80%, indicating that the two species are likely to compete for high-quality forage.
However, the differences between the two species have led to some disagreement about their respective diets, but the underlying behavior is the same.
While it’s possible that a single deer can survive on a smaller population than the others, their numbers remain low.
Phylogeography
Phylogeography of Eld”s deer is critical for understanding the dynamics of population viability.
Low genetic diversity in a population may hamper effective conservation breeding or management strategies. In addition, small populations exhibit low levels of genetic variation due to founder effects and bottlenecks.
The results of this study suggest that genetic variation may not be sufficient for a healthy population and that the species is vulnerable to both demographic and environmental factors.
To gain a better understanding of Eld’s deer phylogeography, scientists have used mitochondrial control region sequences to infer the species’ evolutionary history.
The analysis of these four sequences revealed that the species clustered into two distinct branches, with the newly identified DQA1 and DRA2 genes grouped into separate clusters.
However, the data does not support the previously proposed evolutionary model.
Despite the lack of DNA data, recent analyses have shown that Eld’s deer are closely related to other species.
The genus Panolia was named for them after Pocock determined that they should warrant their own genus. In addition to its morphological similarities with Barasingha Rucervus duvauceli, the species is distinct in its antler form.
A recent study found that the population of Eld’s deer is locally restricted to nine protected areas in eastern and northern Cambodia.
The largest populations of Eld’s deer are believed to reside in Srepok, Phnom Prich, and Keo Seima. However, these studies have not been able to produce any reliable estimates of population density.
This is a pity because the study area is very small, and the study is difficult to interpret.
Regardless of the geographical range, the phylogeography of Eld’s deer is of vital importance for conservation.
It is essential to understand the evolution of deer species in order to plan future conservation efforts. This information is needed in order to guide population recovery and management programs.
If these efforts are not successful, they will only serve to increase the risks of extinction. So, in the meantime, we should continue our efforts to understand how our deer species evolved.
Conservation Efforts
Listed as an endangered species in 1990, the Eld’s deer is in danger of extinction.
They are widely hunted for food and their antlers and have a storied history as a part of traditional medicine in Cambodia and Vietnam.
These efforts are important to the future of the deer and the region they live in. But conservation efforts must be more aggressive and locally directed to ensure that the species continues to exist.
A lack of genetic variation in the population of this species raises questions about the effectiveness of conservation strategies.
To help determine the effectiveness of these programs, mapping spatial genetic variation in Eld’s deer populations across its range is critical.
The results of these studies will help conservation biologists evaluate the efficacy of the program for restoring the population. If this study proves to be accurate, the species can be considered a successful success.
There is no single source for information on the genetic makeup of Eld’s deer. Molecular studies suggest that the species was distributed throughout the tropical world, from South China to Indonesia.
In addition, the deer is largely confined to Thailand, although it was once found throughout Southeast Asia. In fact, it was first recorded in the Middle Pleistocene in Thailand. However, today the deer is largely isolated due to the rise in sea levels.
While a significant percentage of Eld’s deer remained in the wild, there is a growing number of human-induced threats to their habitat.
In addition to reducing their population, communities have been encroaching on the forest, burning vegetation for livestock fodder, and destroying the habitat.
Unfortunately, these human threats are making these deer vulnerable to extinction. However, WWF-Laos is working with local authorities to address these threats and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for the area’s people.
In the long term, WWF-Laos hopes to gazetrate the sanctuary as a National Protected Area. This would give it a stronger legal status and make it easier to protect the environment while maintaining livelihoods.
The Eld’s deer is a species of large mammal native to Southeast Asia. It has a long bow-shaped antler on the male, regrowing each year.
The bow-shaped antlers are most prominent during the breeding season. Eld’s deer can live for 16 to 20 years and weigh between 27 and 390 pounds.
They are very vulnerable to diseases that are prevalent among domestic animals.
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