Due to the lose of habitats and of extensive poaching, nowadays Spotted
deer is confined to the protected national parks and forest reserves of the dry
lowlands. It lives as herds of few
individuals to a hundred or more. These
herds mostly have single dominant male while some large herds may have several
sexually matured stags. Only the males of spotted deer develop antlers and
young stags shed antlers annually but later in life the shedding occurs
irregularly. They feed in grasslands in
the morning and evening, resting during the heat of the day in the shade of
trees. Man, leopards and occasionally
crocodiles and pythons are the enemies of the Spotted deer while jackal also
kill fawns and injured animals. It feeds mainly by grazing on grasses though
occasionally browse on low hanging branches and also very fond of the fruits
and flowers that falls from the trees.
