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Chital

File:066_Chital_in_Ranthambore_National_Park_Photo_by_Giles_Laurent.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Chital

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Also known as Axis axis, cheetal

The chital (Axis axis; ), also called spotted deer and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, male chital reach and females at the shoulder. While males weigh , females weigh around . It is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. The abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears, and tail are all white. The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly long.

OverviewAI-generated

The Chital, also known as the Axis Deer or Indian Spotted Deer, is a species of mammal classified under the taxon name *Axis axis*. It belongs to the parent taxon *Axis* and was described by Erxleben in 1777. The species has a gestation period of 217 days, with the longest observed lifespan recorded at 20.8 years.

The Chital is currently listed with an IUCN conservation status of Least Concern. While native to its primary range, the species is considered invasive to Australia. It is not extinct and has been documented in 9,377 observations. The taxon is referenced by 879 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 21 facts across 3 sources: Wikidata, iNaturalist, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Chital

species

Observations9,377

Der Axishirsch oder Chital (Axis axis) ist ein in Indien, Nepal und Sri Lanka verbreiteter Hirsch. Wie alle Mitglieder der Gattung der Axishirsche weist auch diese Art ganzjährig eine auffällige, gefleckte Fellzeichnung auf. Der Kontrast zwischen den weißen Flecken und dem ansonsten rotbraunen Fell ist jedoch stärker, als dies bei anderen Hirschen der Fall ist. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Merkmale 2 Verbreitung 3 Lebensweise 4 Fortpflanzung 5 Fressfeinde 6 Literatur 7 Weblinks 8 Einzelbelege Merkmale Wie auch der Damhirsch und der Sikahirsch trägt der Axishirsch ein Leben lang ein Fleckenkleid. Die weißen Flecken stehen bei ihm in besonders scharfem Kontrast zum rotbraunen Fell. Bauch und Beine sind weiß gefärbt. Mit einer Kopfrumpflänge von 140 cm, einer Körperhöhe von 80 cm und einem Gewicht von 100 kg ist er etwas kleiner als ein Damhirsch und viel kleiner als ein Rothirsch, aber größer als ein Reh. Die Beine und der Körperbau sind schlank, die Widerristhöhe beträgt etwa 95 cm, die Schwanzlänge rund 25 cm. Auf Grund des tropischen Lebensraumes entwickeln Axishirsche kein Winterhaarkleid mit einer abweichenden Fellfarbe.[1] Allerdings ist das Haarkleid im Winterhalbjahr glänzender, dick

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Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
Axis
Image
Chital in Sundarbans National Park July 2025 by Tisha Mukherjee 02.jpg
Show 11 more facts
taxon rank
species
IUCN conservation status
Least Concern
taxon name
Axis axis
Commons category
Axis axis
Commons gallery
Axis axis
taxon common name
čital
gestation period
217
longest observed lifespan
20.8
taxon author citation
(Erxleben, 1777)
invasive to
Australia
short name
A. axis
Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Etymology
  • Taxonomy and phylogeny
  • Description
  • Distribution and habitat
  • Australia
  • United States
  • Croatia
  • Colombia
  • Behaviour and ecology
  • Diet
  • Reproduction
  • Conservation status
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

The chital (Axis axis; ), also called spotted deer and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, male chital reach and females at the shoulder. While males weigh , females weigh around . It is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. The abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears, and tail are all white. The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly long.

==Etymology== The vernacular name "chital" (pronounced ) comes from cītal (), derived from the Sanskrit word '' (चित्रल), meaning "variegated" or "spotted". The name of the cheetah has a similar origin. Variations of "chital" include "cheetal" and "cheetul". Other common names for the chital are Indian spotted deer (or simply the spotted deer) and axis deer.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Chital” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (43)

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