South China Sika Deer
Encyclopedia
The South China Sika Deer (Cervus nippon kopschi) is one of many subspecies of Sika Deer
. Standing 85 cm or 33.5 in tall at the shoulder, it is a small subspecies that is only a little larger than its Japanese counterpart. The back is brown with a long dark vertebral strip flanked from indistinct white spots, the belly is snowy white. It has previously ranged from Yangtze River Basin all the way east to the coast, going as far south as the border with Vietnam
. Today its small population of 300 is widely scattered along its former range, in remote mountains isolated by heavily populated lowlands. About 30 exists in the Tianmu Mountain
s in northern Zhejiang
, 70 to 100 in southern Anhui
, and 150 in northern Jiangxi
. The population size in southern Guangxi
is unknown, and a tiny population might exist in northern Guangdong
as well. The population continues to decline due to poaching, and inbreeding is a matter of concern for the quality of its future population.
Sika Deer
The Sika Deer, Cervus nippon, also known as the Spotted Deer or the Japanese Deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to various other parts of the world...
. Standing 85 cm or 33.5 in tall at the shoulder, it is a small subspecies that is only a little larger than its Japanese counterpart. The back is brown with a long dark vertebral strip flanked from indistinct white spots, the belly is snowy white. It has previously ranged from Yangtze River Basin all the way east to the coast, going as far south as the border with Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Today its small population of 300 is widely scattered along its former range, in remote mountains isolated by heavily populated lowlands. About 30 exists in the Tianmu Mountain
Tianmu Mountain
Tianmu Mountain, also known as Tianmushan , is a mountain in Lin'an County in Northwestern Zhejiang province in eastern China. Tianmushan is located west of Hangzhou, China. It is made up of two peaks. The West Tianmu Peak, also called Xianren Peak and the East Tianmu Peak, also called Daxian Peak...
s in northern Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, 70 to 100 in southern Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
, and 150 in northern Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
. The population size in southern Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
is unknown, and a tiny population might exist in northern Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
as well. The population continues to decline due to poaching, and inbreeding is a matter of concern for the quality of its future population.