Mammal

Sambar

Rusa unicolor

हिन्दी: सांभर

IUCN: Vulnerable

Sambar stag with large antlers crossing a forest road

Scientific name: Rusa unicolor
Hindi name: सांभर
Family: Cervidae, order Artiodactyla
Group: Mammal
Conservation status: Vulnerable
Height: Stags up to about 1.3 m at the shoulder
Weight: Stags up to about 300 kg

India's largest deer, with a bell-like alarm call.

Spot it Big and dark brown with a shaggy neck; stags carry large, rugged antlers.
Home Thick forest on hill slopes, close to water.
Food web Grazes and browses grass, leaves, twigs and fruit, mostly at night; a major prey of tigers.
Why it matters One of the main foods of tigers in Ranthambhore and Sariska.

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