Cervidae
Author
Don E. Wilson
Author
Russell A. Mittermeier
text
2011
2011-08-31
Lynx Edicions
Barcelona
Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 2 Hoofed Mammals
350
443
book chapter
58517
10.5281/zenodo.6514377
58bf4faf-7498-4c12-bcb3-b6f085b58978
978-84-96553-77-4
6514377
21.
Philippine Spotted Deer
Rusa alfredi
French:
Cerf d'Alfred
/
German:
Prinz-Alfred-Hirsch
/
Spanish:
Sambar
manchado de
Filipinas
Other common names:
Prince Alfred's Sambar
,
Visayan Spotted Deer
Taxonomy.
Cervus alfredi Sclater, 1870
,
Philippines
.
This species has been treated for decades as a dwarf island form of
R. unicolor
. The scientific name refers to Prince Alfred, son of Queen
Victoria
, who sent a specimen to P. L. Sclater. Monotypic.
Distribution.
Panay and Negros Is, in W Visayas,
Philippines
.
Descriptive notes.
Head-body
130 cm
, tail
12 cm
, shoulder height 65-75 cm; weight of males around
40 kg
. Small to medium-sized deer with a narrow skull and pointed face. Ears relatively small. Fur fine, soft, and dense. The coat is dark brown with beige and whitish spots and a blackish spinal band. Head and neck darker, underparts cream. White on chin and lowerlip. Antlers of adults three-tined and
25 cm
in lenght.
Habitat.
It is now restricted to steep slopes of dipterocarp forests.
Food and Feeding.
It feeds on leaves, buds, forbs, young grasses, and fruits.
Breeding.
Females attain puberty at about twelve months of age. Breeding occurs all year. Mating season peaks in November-December, births in May-June. Gestation is around 240 days. Females give birth to a single fawn.
Activity patterns.
Mainly nocturnal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization.
It is not very social, with males mostly solitary and females with their fawns.
Status and Conservation.
Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Hunting and logging for plantations and agriculture have drastically fragmented its range and decreased its population.
Bibliography.
Cox (1987), Grubb & Groves (1983), Oliver et al. (1991).