Swamp deer Scientific name:Cervus duvauceli

Swamp deer
Scientific name:Cervus duvauceli
Swamp Deer, also known as Barasingha, is one of the most vulnerable species of deer of the Indian subcontinent as well as the world. The is a species of deer, native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. In Assam in the North-East India, barasingha is traditionally known as dolhorina.
Range and habitat
swamp deer lives in areas with tall grasses or in the reed beds near rivers.They prefer to stay in marshes or swamplands. In the India subcontinent, Barasinghas can be found occupying the forested areas in the Gangetic and Brahmaputra basins.
Bara Singha used to inhabit most of the areas of northern as well as central India. However, today their habitat has been restricted to the protected forests of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Madhya Pradesh only.
Physical characteristics
Swamp deer is a medium sized deer, which grows to a maximum height of 130 cm and weighs around 180 kg. A male deer has huge antlers,  Average antlers may measure 75 cm (30 in) round the curve with a girth of 13cm (5 in) at mid beam. A record antler measured 104.1 cm (41 in) round the curve.The coat is generally orange to brown colour, with males being slightly darker than females.The underparts, including the underside of the tail, are whitish.
Subspecies
Swamp deer of India can be further subdivided into two subspecies.
Cervus duvaucelii branderi : South Indian Swamp Deer, North-central India.
Cervus duvaucelii duvauceli : North Indian Swamp Deer, North of Ganges, Assam, India.
Feeding and diet
Barasinghas are basically herbivores. Their staple diet mainly consists of grass and leaves. Their main diet consists of grass which they feed on in the vast grasslands of central and northern India. Some of them have also been seen eating grass from the bed of wet swamps.
Reproduction
The breeding season of the Swamp deer is during the winter months of November and December.  During the breeding season, the males colouration takes on a darker hue and appear a much darker brown when compared to that of the rest of the year.They have a gestation period of 6 months and have a litter of mostly just one young. This birth takes place mostly in tall grass where the vulnerable baby is concealed from predators.  They have an acute sense of smell and it serves as their best defense against their hunters.
Predatory
Hunting, poaching and, more important, diversion of the bulk of grassland to agriculture, are considered the main causes of their reduced numbers. At the same time, Barasinghas are hunted for their horns.
Life expectancy
Their life expectancy ranges between 20 - 30 years.