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Indian Hog Deer

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June 02, 2026

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Species

Why in News?

A rare albino hog deer was recently spotted roaming freely inside Assam’s famous Kaziranga National Park.

  • Scientific Name – Axis porcinus
  • It is a small, solidly built deer, named for its hog-like running style.
  • Habitat – Dense grasslands, floodplains (Indo-Gangetic plains),  riverine valleys.
  • Distribution – It is found across South Asia and Southeast Asia, including northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and western Thailand.
  • Name – Its name comes from its characteristic mode of locomotion, hoglike running style — running with its head lowered to duck under obstacles rather than leaping.

Key Features

  • Size – Males stand about 70 cm at the shoulder and weigh ~50 kg, while females are smaller at ~61 cm and 30 kg.
  • Appearance – The coat shifts seasonally - thick dark-brown winter coat, reddish-brown in summer; often a dark dorsal stripe with light spots along the back.
  • Males grow three-tined antlers (brow tine + forked top), shed yearly.

Indian Hog Deer

  • Behaviour – Hog deer are crepuscular—active in the morning and late afternoon—and may extend nocturnal activity in hotter or threatened zones.
  • Reproduction – They are seasonally breeding; gestation lasts ~220–230 days, generally yielding one fawn, which weighs ~2.0–2.7 kg at birth.
  • Predators – Include tigers, leopards, dholes and sometimes the Burmese python.
  • Conservation Status
    • IUCN – Endanger
    • WPA, 1972 – Schedule I
  • Threats – Habitat loss, presence of invasive species, poaching & hunting.

Quick Fact

Albino Hog Deer

  • Mutation – Due to a rare genetic mutation known as albinism, the animal entirely lacks melanin pigment.
  • Appearance –It has a striking, snow-white coat, pale hooves, pinkish skin features, and translucent, light-colored eyes.
  • Rarity – Albino hog deer are almost never seen in the wild; folklore mentions “white deer,” but clear documentation is rare.

Albino Hog Deer

Other rare white wildlife in India

  • Albino saltwater crocodiles – Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park
  • Albino Indian bison or Gaur – Western Ghats.

References

  1. First Post | Rare white albino hog deer spotted in Kaziranga
  2. Thai National Park | Indian hog deer
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