Javan rusa are the largest Rusa species. They were previously known by the scientific name Cervus timorensis.
Javan rusa, like other deer species, use chemical and visual cues and sounds in communication around reproductive state.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Javan rusa are not considered endangered currently.
US Migratory Bird Act: no special status
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable
Javan rusa have a direct impact on farming through competition with domestic stocks. The competition for pasture, between the deer and domestic animals use for farming, seems to be a very important issue in Indonesia. Also, Javan rusa eat crops and sometimes spread weeds that are harmful to farming.
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Javan rusas shed their antlers between the months of October and February. These are collected and used primarily in Asian medicine. Also, the antlers can be used as jewelry. In Queensland, Australia, 50% of the deer farmed are Javan rusa. While economic by-products such as hides offer some income to rusa farmers in Australia, the major commercial activity from rusa deer farming is deer meat (venison) production. Venison is considered a lean and nutritious red meat.
Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material; source of medicine or drug
Javan rusa help disperse seeds in the forest.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
Like most deer, Javan rusa eat primarily grass and leaves. They hardly drink any water because they get their fluid from the grass and the leaves.
Plant Foods: leaves; wood, bark, or stems
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Javan rusa are found on most of the islands of Southeast Asia. They occur from Malaysia in the west to New Zealand in the east.
Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native ); australian (Native )
Javan rusa are principly found in deciduous forests, plantations and grasslands in the islands of Southeast Asia. They prefer the edges of the forest.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; scrub forest
Javan rusa live between 15 to 20 years in the wild and in captivity. Rarely do they live for more than 20 years.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 15 to 20 years.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 15 to 20 years.
Male Javan rusa are larger than females. Males usually weigh 152 kg, while females weigh about 74 kg. The males have a lyre-shaped, three-tined antlers, which weigh about 2.5 kg. Males and females have a rough grayish brown coat that is often coarse in appearance. Their ears are rounded and broad. The animals look short and stubby because they have relatively short legs.
Range mass: 74 to 160 kg.
Range length: 83 to 110 cm.
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger; ornamentation
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Although the Javan deer sometimes graze during the day, they are mostly nocturnal to avoid diurnal predators. Their primary predators are crocodiles, pythons, and Komodo dragons.
Known Predators:
Like other deer species, Javan rusa have a polygynous mating system, with males competing for access to receptive females.
Mating System: polygynous
The gestation period is 8 months. They give birth to 1 calf, rarely 2. Breeding occurs throughout the year but peaks during the months between of July and September.
Breeding interval: Javan rusa breed once yearly.
Breeding season: Breeding peaks from July to September.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 2.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average gestation period: 8 months.
Range weaning age: 6 to 8 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 18 to 24 months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 18 to 24 months.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Newly born calves stay with their mother. Weaning is from 6 to 8 months. These deer reach sexual maturity 18 to 24 months after birth.
Parental Investment: precocial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The Javan rusa or Sunda sambar (Rusa timorensis) is a large deer species native to Indonesia and East Timor. Introduced populations exist in a wide variety of locations in the Southern Hemisphere.
Seven subspecies of the Javan rusa are recognised:[1]
The Javan rusa is dark blackish brown and has a gray forehead. Its back is almost black, the underparts and inner thighs are yellowish brown. The abdomen is lighter brown, and the tail tuft is dark blackish brown. The hair is coarse and longer on the chest than on the remaining body. Its ears are wide and a little shorter than the head. The antlers are medium long and rather wide, the upper branch points forward.[3] Fawns are born without spots. Males are bigger than females; head-to-body length varies from 142 to 185 cm (4 ft 8 in to 6 ft 1 in), with a 20 cm (7.9 in) tail. Males weigh 152–160 kg (335–353 lb), female about 74 kg (163 lb).[4]
The Javan rusa natively occurs on the islands of Java, Bali and Timor in Indonesia. It has been introduced to Irian Jaya, Borneo, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku, Sulawesi, Pohnpei, Mauritius, Réunion, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, the Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands, Nauru, Mainland Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, New Britain, and New Ireland.[2][5] The Javan rusa was introduced by the Dutch to New Guinea in the early 1900s.[6]
Since its introduction to the West Papuan lowlands, the species has become widely dispersed and is common in much of its new range. However its population in its native range has declined markedly by approximately 10,000 individuals in the past two decades and likely faces further decline. As a result it has been listed as vulnerable in its native range and was declared as a protected species under Indonesian law in 2018.[7]
During the 1980s and 1990s, protected areas such as national parks were used to control poaching and the effects of land conversion that destroyed grazing areas. However large numbers of Javan rusa died in Baluran National Park in Indonesia due to the loss of grazing area as a result of the invasive thorny acacia.[8]
Javan rusa are nocturnal, although they do graze during the day.[8] They are rarely seen in the open and are very difficult to approach due to their keen senses and cautious instincts.
The rusa deer is often found in small groups or pairs, although males are often seen alone.[7] When alarmed, a rusa stag lets out an extremely loud honk. This is an alarm call and alerts any other deer in the vicinity.
As with other deer species, Javan rusa mainly feed on grass, leaves, and fallen fruit. Most of their fluid requirements are met by the food they consume, so they hardly drink water.[8]
The main predators of the Javan rusa includes Javan leopard, Sunda clouded leopard, dhole, estuarine crocodile, reticulated python, and Komodo dragon on the islands of Rinca, Komodo, and Flores.[4][9]
The Javan rusa mates around July and August, when stags contest by calling in a loud, shrill bark and dueling with the antlers. The doe gives birth to one or two calves after a gestation period of 8 months, at the start of spring. Calves are weaned at 6–8 months, and sexual maturity is attained at 3–5 years, depending on habitat conditions. Javan rusas live 15–20 years both in the wild and in captivity.[9][4]
The Javan rusa or Sunda sambar (Rusa timorensis) is a large deer species native to Indonesia and East Timor. Introduced populations exist in a wide variety of locations in the Southern Hemisphere.
