Spotted Deer

Spotted Deer and Black Buck in Central Zoo, Kathmandu

On my visit to the Central Zoo in Kathmandu I was able to see some Spotted Deer up close in one of the exhibits. These are common animals throughout the world in zoos and parks and even in private collections.

I was fortunate to see some of this species of deer in their natural habitat in southern Nepal when I visited Royal Chitwan National Park. In the rainforest it is much harder to get good photos of these animals, of course, so I was pleased to get this very clear photo in the zoo.

The chital (or cheetal) deer, also known as the spotted deer or axis deer is a deer which commonly inhabits wooded regions of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and most of India. It is the most common deer species in Indian forests. Its coat is reddish fawn, marked with white spots, and its underparts are white. Its antlers, which it sheds annually, are usually three-pronged and curve in a lyre shape and may extend to 75 cm.

Chital eat primarily grasses and vegetation, but also eat their shed antlers as a source of nutrients.

A chital stands about 90 cm tall at the shoulder and masses about 85 kg. Lifespan is around 20-30 years. (Quotes from Wikipedia)

Related Articles:

• Travels in Nepal #56 Rhinoceros
• Travels in Nepal # 57 Tigers in Nepal
• Travels in Nepal #58 Another Rhinoceros
• Spotted Deer at Monarto Zoological Park – this articles gives many details about Spotted Deer. The Monarto Zoo is my local zoo, being only a ten minutes drive from where I live.