Sambar  deer

• The presence of a leucistic sambar has been documented in the Sangama range of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka.
• This is the first recorded photographic record of a white form of sambar from this landscape though a white form of sambar deer was previously recorded in Bandipur Tiger Reserve in 2014.

ABOUT SAMBAR DEER

• Scientific name- Rusa unicolor.
• The sambar is a large deer species that is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
• Characteristics–
  • The sambar is known for its large and rugged antlers, shaggy coat, and a small but dense mane.
  • Sambar are nocturnal or crepuscular animals.
  • The males live alone for much of the year, while the females live in small herds of up to 16 individuals.
• Distribution- South Asia as far north as the south-facing slopes of the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan, and India, and in mainland Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo), Taiwan, and South China.
• Threats- hunting, local insurgency, and industrial exploitation of habitat.
• The sambar is listed as a vulnerable species as per the IUCN Red List.

WHAT IS LEUCISM?

• Leucism is a condition in which the pigmentation of an animal’s skin is missing, causing white or pale skin.
• This condition can occur naturally from birth due to a phenotype (a trait of any living being) that may have formed from a defect in the animal’s development.
• It is different from albinism which is a condition that arises due to a lack of melatonin in the animal’s skin, but the animal has pink or reddish eyes. But in leucism the animal lacks the pink eyes.