DEER

Hog deer (Axis porcinus) are a small deer. Males (stags) stand around 70cm at the shoulders and weigh around 50kg. Females (hinds) are smaller, coming in at about 61cm at the shoulders and weighing around 30kg. Introduced to Victoria in the 1860s, they are native to India, Nepal and Southern Asia.

The hog deer gets its name from the hog-like manner in which it runs through the forests; with its head hung low so that it can duck under obstacles instead of leaping over them like most other deer. Hog deer are gregarious only when conditions are favourable and do not form a "unit" at these times, fleeing in different directions rather than in a herd. When alarmed, hog deer make a whistling vocalisation or a warning bark. The antler of a mature hog deer stag is typically a three tined-brow tine with solid main beam terminating in inner and outer top tines. However, antlers with more points are not uncommon.