Types of deer found in Wilpattu National Park - deer of Sri Lanka - Wilpattu National Park Safari

From the types of deer found in Wilpattu NP is the Sri Lankan Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor unicolor) in Sinhalese it spelled as Gona. The subspecies is one of the largest samber species. This type of deer has the largest antlers both in size and body propotion.The sambar deer lives in both lowland dry forest such as Yala and Wilpattu and in the mountain forest such as Horton plains.The adult males of the sambur, spotted deer and hog deer are called stags and the females are called hinds

The second type of deer found in Wilpattu NP is the spotted deer or the tith muwa in Sinhala.Spotted deer have pinkish brown coat marked with white spots and underparts of the animal remains white in colour.The male spotted deer found in Wilpattu NP grows antlers which they shed once a year. Usually, the antlers have three prongs and are curved in a lyre shape. When male spotted deer are at their prime during breeding, these antlers can extend to a whopping two and a half feet in length. These deer are also known for their delicate balancing act – standing on their hind legs to reach out for leaves and fruits on trees.

The Spotted Deer are true herbivores, living only on grass, leaves and fruits. These harmless animals are seen living together in groups of about 10-16 animals. When the habitat conditions are exceptional: availability of plenty of water, grassland and vegetation, herds of more than 100 animals have been seen.

The third types of deer found in Wilpattu NP is the Barking deer. The Barking deer also known as the Muntjacs and Olu Muwa in Sinhala. This is a small deer of the genus Muntiacus and they are known to be the eldest of the whole deer types. The barking deer in Wilpattu NP usually eats fruit and leaves found in the Wilpattu NP. The main different between Barking deer and other deer types found in Wilpattu NP is that they have large canine teeth protruding from their upper jaw. Barking deer is smaller than the spotted deer in Sri Lanka. This chestnut colour is brightest on its back and becomes lighter down the sides. It grows to a height of almost two feet. The barking deer can jump well over ten feet from a standing position. These deer also possess tusk like upper canines measuring about 1 inch long in males. Their body length ranges from 89-135 cm. Their shoulder height and the length of their tail ranges from 40-65 cm and 13-23 cm respectively. The males tend to be larger than the females.

The final type of deer found in Wilpattu NP is the mouse deer or meeminna in Sinahlese.Mouse deer in Wilpattu NP is most renowned and the main type of deer in Sri Lanka. Mouse deer is also refer as white spotted chevrotain. A closely related and extremely similar species known as the Indian spotted chevrotain is found in India. It should be noted that the appearance of the Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain is similar to the appearance of the deer but its physical dimensions are extremely small as opposed to a common species of deer. Furthermore, these creatures do not possess any horns and its name of “mouse-deer” originated because its appearance, especially that of the face, is slightly similar to that of a mouse. The mouse deer in Wilpattu has been considered as endemic to dry zones of Sri Lanka.The diet of the Sri Lankan spotted chevrotain includes plants but it has been discovered that it also feeds on insects as well as small fish. The behavior of these animals include activity throughout the day and night. Herds of these animals are uncommon as they live as isolated individuals or as pairs.

So as the conclusion we can get that types of deer found in Wilpattu NP are very wide and helps to attract more visitors to the park in order to view them.