Antlers, as in most other cervids, are shed annually. The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long. The brow tine (the first division in the antler) is roughly perpendicular to the beam (the central stalk of the antler). Įach of the antlers has three lines on it. The preorbital glands, larger in males than in females, are frequently opened in response to certain stimuli. It also has well-developed metatarsal glands and pedal glands located in its hind legs. The chital has well-developed preorbital glands (near the eyes) with stiff hairs. A conspicuous black stripe runs along the spine (back bone). The abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears, and tail are all white. The dorsal (upper) parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. The species is sexually dimorphic males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. The tail, 20 cm (7.9 in) long, is marked by a dark stripe that stretches along its length. Males reach up to 90–100 cm (35–39 in) and females 65–75 cm (26–30 in) at the shoulder the head-and-body length is around 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in). Remains of the chital were found in the Middle Pleistocene deposits of Thailand along with sun bear, Stegodon, gaur, wild water buffalo and other living and extinct mammals. The following cladogram is based on a 2006 phylogenetic study: Ĭervus, fallow deer ( Dama dama), Père David's deer ( Elaphurus davidianus) and Rusaįossils of extinct Axis species dating to the early to Middle Pliocene were excavated from Iran in the west to Indochina in the east. The chital was estimated to have genetically diverged from the Rucervus lineage in the Early Pliocene about 5 million years ago. Axis was revealed to be paraphyletic and distant from Hyelaphus in the phylogenetic tree the chital was found to form a clade with the barasingha ( Rucervus duvaucelii) and the Schomburgk's deer ( Rucervus schomburgki). A phylogenetic study later that year showed that Hyelaphus is closer to the genus Rusa than Axis. However, a morphological analysis showed significant differences between Axis and Hyelaphus. The genus Hyelaphus was considered a subgenus of Axis. Axis was elevated to generic status by Colin P. In 1827, Charles Hamilton Smith placed the chital in its own subgenus Axis under the genus Cervus. The chital was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777 as Cervus axis. Other common names for the chital are Indian spotted deer (or simply the spotted deer) and axis deer. Variations of "chital" include "cheetal" and "cheetul". The name of the cheetah has a similar origin. The vernacular name "chital" (pronounced / tʃ iː t əl/) comes from cītal ( Hindi: चीतल), derived from the Sanskrit word citrala (चित्रल), meaning "variegated" or "spotted". The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. It is sexually dimorphic males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. A moderate-sized deer, male chital reach 90 cm (35 in) and females 70 cm (28 in) at the shoulder. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. The chital or cheetal ( Axis axis / tʃ iː t əl/), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent.
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