Behavioral Ecology of Spotted deer (Axis axis) in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Kerala, India

Abstract

The impact of animal behavior on ecosystem and the animal populations are well acknowledged, however, the influence of these behavior on several ecological events are understudied. Ungulates represents a critical component of terrestrial ecosystem, whose abundance and foraging behaviour can influence the animal and plant communities. The Spotted deer (Axix axis) provide an excellent model for investigating these ecological phenomena since they face differential predation risks and exhibit a fission-fusion social structure. The Spotted deer population of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (PKTR), was investigated and the activity patterns were recorded following instantaneous scan sampling with respect to the sex and seasons. The major activity was classified as feeding, drinking, moving, resting, breeding and other activities, where feeding was recorded as the major activity and the least was reported as drinking.