Axis kuhlii
The Bawean deer (Axis kuhlii) is a small deer found only on Bawean Island, East Java. It is Critically Endangered, with an estimated few hundred animals.
PANDUANHEWAN · INDONESIA
Bawean deer vs Timor deer: the differences
How do the Bawean deer (Axis kuhlii) and Timor deer (Rusa timorensis) differ? Classification, features, range, diet, size, IUCN status and legal protection, from cited sources.
The Bawean deer (Axis kuhlii) and the Timor deer (Rusa timorensis) share the family Cervidae but belong to different genera: Axis and Rusa. Range in Indonesia — the Bawean deer: Bawean Island, Gresik Regency, East Java; the Timor deer: Native to Java and Bali; introduced long ago to Nusa Tenggara (including Timor), Sulawesi and Maluku, and later to Papua and other islands.
Rusa timorensis
A plant-eating deer using grasslands and wooded areas. Population origins matter because people have introduced this species to many locations.
Bawean deer and Timor deer compared
| Aspect | Bawean deer | Timor deer |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Axis kuhlii | Rusa timorensis |
| Indonesian name | Rusa bawean | Rusa Timor |
| Class | Mammalia | Mammalia |
| Order | Artiodactyla | Artiodactyla |
| Family | Cervidae | Cervidae |
| Range in Indonesia | Bawean Island, Gresik Regency, East Java | Native to Java and Bali; introduced long ago to Nusa Tenggara (including Timor), Sulawesi and Maluku, and later to Papua and other islands |
| Endemic to Indonesia | Yes | Yes |
| Key features | Short legs, grizzled brown coat, three-pronged antlers | — |
| Diet | Grasses, especially young lalang (cogon grass), and leaves | Grasses and other plants |
| Diet type | herbivore (plant-eater) | herbivore (plant-eater) |
| Reproduction | giving birth to live young (viviparous) | giving birth to live young (viviparous) |
| IUCN status | Critically Endangered | Vulnerable |
| Legal protection | Protected (Regulation P.106/2018) | Protected (Regulation P.106/2018) |
Every cell comes from the sourced data on each animal’s page; an empty cell means the data is not yet available, not that it is absent.
How to tell them apart
- Bawean deer: Short legs, grizzled brown coat, three-pronged antlers.
Sources
- Oryx (Cambridge University Press) — Rahman, Gonzalez & Aulagnier (2016), Population size, distribution and status of the remote and Critically Endangered Bawean deer Axis kuhlii, Oryx 51(4): 665–672 ↗
- Ultimate Ungulate — Bawean deer (Axis kuhlii) fact sheet ↗
- Universitas Gadjah Mada — Hutomo (2004), Studi habitat dan pakan rusa Bawean (Axis kuhlii) di Suaka Margasatwa Pulau Bawean (abstrak tesis S2) ↗
- Mongabay Indonesia (2021) — Rusa Bawean, Si Gesit yang Tidak Suka Kehadiran Manusia ↗
- Peraturan Menteri LHK Nomor P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018 tentang Jenis Tumbuhan dan Satwa yang Dilindungi ↗
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (GBIF) ↗
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Rusa timorensis ↗
- Zoological Park Organization of Thailand — Rusa deer ↗
- Queensland Government — Introduced rusa deer context ↗
- IUCN Red List ↗
- Animal Diversity Web ↗
- Exploring temporal activity of dholes, their prey, and competitors in East Java, Indonesia (Havmøller et al. 2024, Ecology and Evolution; PMC) ↗
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