Sambar Deer

Sambar deer are large deer native to South and Southeast Asia, ranging from India into China. They keep to dense woodland for cover, using it for shelter and for raising young, and step out into open grassland mainly to graze. Diet runs to grasses, forbs, and browse, and they feed mostly after dark, year-round. Outside the rut they aren't especially social — mature bucks tend to go it alone, while does travel in small groups rather than herds. Come fall, bucks stake out small territories through the rut, joined briefly by does, with births following the next spring. A study of the introduced Texas population found a seasonal diet shift: heavier on browse in winter, switching over to grass through summer.