Hogdeer

"Hogdeers are good swimmers. When danger threatens, they often flee into the water."

Discover in real life
HogdeerAxis porcinus
  • Food

    grass and leaves

  • Lifetime

    10 to 20 years

  • Weight

    30 to 50 pounds

  • Number of youngsters

    1 juvenile

  • Wear time

    7 to 8 months

  • IUCN Status

    endangered

  • EEP?

    yes

Chewing twice

Just like all deer species, hog deer are ruminants. They grab their food with their lips or teeth, chew it quickly and then swallow it. The food then goes to the first stomach; the rumen. The rumen has bacteria in it that digest the food a little bit. Later, the food comes back to the mouth in little pieces and they chew it a second time. When they swallow it this time, the chewed-up food goes through all four stomachs of the hog deer to their intestines. This way ruminants can extract almost all vitamins and minerals from their food.

Theme area: Tastes vary

You’ll see the brown bear in the ‘Tastes vary’ theme area. Here, you’ll delve into the world of food: how animals find food, hunt, or avoid being eaten.

Discover theme area

Eating together

Hog deer usually look for food in the dark. They often do this alone. But in open spaces where there is plenty of food, you can sometimes see groups of 40 to 80 hog deer together. When they sense any danger, they warn each other by whistling and barking. The hog deer then all flee in different directions.

Meet the other animals in the theme area, tastes vary