What is a Barasingha?
Barasingha(Rucervus duvaucelii), also known as graceful deer or swamp deer, belongs to the Cervidae family (order Artiodactyla). This animal is found in the grasslands and open forests of India and Nepal. It is a large deer with a shoulder height of 44 to 46 inches(110 to 120 cm) and has a head-to-body length of nearly 6 ft. (180 cm).
Barasingha deer is different from all other Indian deer species. Their antlers carry more than three prongs or teeth. Mature male deers usually have 10 to 14 prongs, and it is also known that some of them have up to 20. Due to this characteristic being present, the deer gets the name Barasingha which means 12 Tined in the Hindi language. The swamp deer is now found only in scattered areas and in reserves and national parks. The specific name of the graceful deer helps us in remembering the French Naturalist Alfred Duvaucel.
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What are the Characteristics of Barasingha Deer?
The deer consists of yellowish-brown and woolly hair above, but it is light-colored underneath and has white patches along the spine. The belly, throat, inside of the thighs, under the tail has a white color with a maned neck. The coat becomes reddish in summer. The female deers are lighter in color than the male deers. Females weigh less than males, with a weight of about 130 to 145 kg. The stags weigh 170 to 280 kg.
Swamp deers are highly social creatures with a population size of 3,500-5,100. They gather into single-sex herds of 10-20 individuals where every individual group member usually of the same age.
They have a lifespan of 20-23 years and a top speed of 48km/hr.
Habitat and Distribution of Rucervus Duvaucelii
Swamp deer currently occur in remote populations across the heavily fragmented range, such as north and central India as well as south-western Nepal. In the 19th century, they ran along the base of the Himalayas from Upper Assam to the west of the Jumna river, and in a few places in the Indus-Ganga plain from the Eastern Sundarbans to upper Sind. They were also commonly found in the upper parts of Nerbudda Valley and to the south in Bastar, and locally found between the areas of Ganges and Godavari as far east as Mandla.
In India, the total population was approximately 1,600 to less than 2,150 individuals and about 1,600 in Nepal, in the 1960s. Currently, the distribution is reduced due to uncontrolled hunting and conversion of grasslands to croplands that occurred in the 1930s-1960s which lead to a huge loss. These deers occur in the Kanha National Park of Madhya Pradesh. They are geographically extinct in West Bengal and probably in Arunachal Pradesh, few of them survived in Kaziranga and Manas National Parks located in Assam.
There are Three Subspecies of the Swamp Deer:
Wetland Swamp Deer- This is the largest among all other swamp deers of India. They are best seen at Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh, and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary.
Hard-Ground Swamp Deer- This is larger than the Eastern swamp deer but smaller than the wetland swamp deer, and occurs in Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh(India) having only one population.
Eastern Swamp Deer-This is the smallest of swamp deer, which has a small tail and antlers compared to the other subspecies. They form a single population in north-eastern India, Assam.
Deportment and Lifestyle
The Barasingha animal is a herbivore that largely feeds on grasses and aquatic plants throughout the day. In summers they drink water thrice or more than that and in monsoons and winters, they drink twice. During summers, in the daytime, they rest under the shade of the tree.
They gather into single-sex herds but occasionally can be found in groups of mixed-sex. Males are rare, and it is seen that a single female leads the group, followed by other females of the herd, who form a line after her. Males are less loyal to their herds compared to the female species. The female leader is not dominant towards other members of her group.
In Central India, the herds contain on average about 8-20 individuals and large herds up to 60.
The breeding season starts in September and lasts up to April. After a gestation of 240-250 days from August to November birth occurs.
What is "Bhoorsingh the Barasingha"?
Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is the first one, to officially introduce a mascot named " Bhoorsingh the Barasingha" Which aims at presenting the hard ground swamp deer as the spirit of the reserve and also to create awareness among people to save it from extinction.
The swamp deer is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh, and Kanha Tiger Reserve is the only place in the world where swamp deer exists.
Mr. Sanjay Shukla, the reserve's field officer said that this mascot has been introduced to create better connections with our visitors, especially young generations so that they can connect with wildlife. It also gives Kanha Reserves an unique identity and makes it look distinct. Mr. Shukla also mentioned that Bhoorsingh will soon promote more artwork, posters, and merchandise for the Kanha park management.
This mascot was designed by Nagpur's award-winning cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty, who makes wildlife cartoons and illustrations. He also runs a website named www.greenhumour.com, which is a popular one and displays over 350 cartoons, illustrations, and comics. Mr. Shukla came up with this idea when he met him.
Did You Know?
Aquatic vegetation usually gets consumed by the wetland subspecies of swamp deer. They dip their head in the water to get their food.
The male species are known as bucks, whereas the adult male species are named stags.
The female deer are Commonly known as does, whereas the babies get called fawns.
Newborn babies carry unique characteristics. They have spots on their bodies that protect them from predators by hiding in the grass. These spots disappear gradually by one year of age.
The horns of these deer are an extension of their bones. The horns of a young deer are typically covered in a layer of 'felt' which consists of blood vessels when they first come out. When the felt dries up, the young male deers clear it by rubbing against tree bark. After removing the felt, they reveal their horns.
Their meat is compared to veal by some hunters.
Humans are one of the reasons behind the extinction of swamp deers.
Some of these deers are brought to the U. S., and conservation measures have been successful due to their hardy natures.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has listed the swamp deers as vulnerable(VU) and have a high chance of extinction in the wild.
The conservation measures taken by the U. S. and India have saved these deers from vanishing entirely.
Tigers and leopards are some of the predators of this deer, which attacks and kills them.
Every year swamp deer give birth to only one fawn.
These deers are highly skilled and efficient jumpers and are also good swimmers.
Extinction and Threats of Swamp Deers
One of the prime causes of the extinction of swamp deers has been deforestation. Vast grasslands got converted into croplands. Draining of swamps and marshes citing agricultural reasons also resulted in habitat destruction, which the deers suffered for. Other than this, the life of swamp deers has also been threatened by diseases carried by domestic cattle.
The remaining habitat in protected areas is also threatened by a decrease in the water flow during summers, cutting down of grasses and firewood, change in motion of the river, and illegal farming practices on government land.
Conclusion
It has been concluded that the Barasingha deer consume a wide variety of food as they are mixed feeders. The diet composition may vary according to the availability of food and change in seasons. They are herbivorous, hence the long-term survival and conservation of herbivores depend upon the availability of suitable habitats. The Dudhwa Sanctuary and later Dudhwa National Park were constructed for these animals who now face huge problems regarding conservations and are threatened by habitat loss, poaching, predation pressure to some extent, and many more.
The herbivore diet is influenced by several factors, some of which include anatomical and physiological characteristics of animals, the community structure of plants, and its structure and chemical constituents. Swamp deers are highly dependent on aquatic plants, protection of areas carrying aquatic vegetation like Badi taal, Jadhi taal, Bankey taal, will be essential for the long-term conservation of the species.
FAQs on Barasingha
1. What is a Barasingha Animal? Why are They Called Up by This Name?
Answer: The Indian Barasingha known as swamp deers is a type of herbivore distributed in the Indian Subcontinent. It is generally found in protected areas in India. Swamp deers have large antlers, and they largely feed on aquatic plants and grasses. In Assam, it is called 'dolhorina' (where dol means swamp and horina means deer) and in Central India, it is named goinjak or gaoni.
The swamp deer is different from all other deer species, they possess a special characteristic. The adult male deer carries 12 points or more than that in their antlers, this is the reason they are given the name barah-singga, which means twelve horned in Hindi.
2. Describe the Different Subspecies of Swamp Deer?
Answer: Swamp deers are distributed into three subspecies:
Eastern Barasingha - This is the smallest species, consisting of a small tail and antlers compared to the other two subspecies. They have large off-white hair on the inner part of their ears, and their antlers are flatter and have unmistakable branching that lower down to the beam, which makes them different from the other two. They are generally found in North-Eastern India especially in Assam, Kaziranga and Manas are the protected areas.
Hard Ground Barasingha - This is larger than Eastern swamp deer. Hard ground Barasingha has a darker fur coat, longer set of antlers, and a prominent neck ruff. The feature that distinguishes this swamp deer species is, they don,t have splayed hooves. They stay in dry grasslands, which are bordered by Sal forest. Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh is the only place where we can find this species today. A small population is transferred to Satpura Tiger Reserve towards Bori Wildlife sanctuary.
Wetland Barasingha - Compared to the other two subspecies this is the largest one. They have a long tail with a whitish fringe. The backside of this species is much higher. They inhabit the flooded tall grasslands of Northern India. They are generally found at Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh. A small population is seen at Haiderpur wetland in Uttar Pradesh.
3. Why is This Species Known as Indian Barasingha? Name the Places Where They are Mostly Seen?
Answer: The swamp deer is an endangered species of deer, found in the Indian subcontinent. They are also protected by sanctuaries situated in India.
Previously they were seen across the areas of North and Central India, which had moist forest and swampland. After their habitat got destroyed, they are now seen in isolated protected forests in Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Tourists can see this species in the wild, in Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh in North India, the Kanha and Indravati National Parks in Madhya Pradesh in Central India, and Manas and Kaziranga National Parks in Assam in North East India.
4. Briefly Discuss the Behavior of Swamp Deer?
Answer: Swamp deers are very agile and feed during both daytime and at night. They are typically found in groups of varied sizes depending upon the time of year. Their group contains 10-20 members and is generally led by females, male deers are very rare. They form larger breeding herds of 30-60 deers during the breeding season which lasts from September to April, and birth occurs in between August and November after a gestation of 240 to 250 days. The stags fight to gain control over a flock of does. During the remaining year, the adult male deer often remains lonely.
