Philippine deer

The Philippine deer (Rusa marianna), also

known as the Philippine sambar or
Philippine brown deer, is a vulnerable deer
species endemic to the Philippines.[1] It
was first described from introduced
populations in the Mariana Islands, hence
the specific name.
 Philippine brown deer

Conservation status

Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae

Subfamily: Cervinae

Genus: Rusa

Species: R. marianna

Binomial name

Rusa marianna
(Desmarest, 1822)

Synonyms

Cervus mariannus
Taxonomy
Cervus mariannus was the scientific name
proposed by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest
in 1822. It was subordinated to the genus
Rusa.[2] Four subspecies are currently
recognized:[1]

R. m. marianna in Luzon biogeographic

region
R. m. barandana in Mindoro
R. m. nigella in isolated upland areas of
Mindanao
R. m. nigricans in lowland sites of
Mindanao
Characteristics

An adult female Philippine deer on the

island of Mindanao in the Philippines

In Manila, Philippines

The Philippine brown deer is relatively

smaller than its relative, the sambar deer.
Its head-and-body length and shoulder
height measures 100 to 151 cm (39 to
59 in), and 55 to 70 cm (22 to 28 in),
respectively. Its weight usually ranges
from 40 to 60 kg. Generally, its color is
brown with white tail underside. Antlers
are common among males which
measures 20 to 40 cm. Variations in
morphology were observed especially in
Mindanao populations, but is still unknown
at present.

Distribution and habitat

The Philippine deer is endemic to the
Philippines, where it occurs in the islands
of Luzon, Polillo and Catanduanes,
Mindoro, Samar, Mindanao and Leyte. It is
possibly extinct in Biliran, Bohol and
Marinduque.[3][4][5] It has also been
declared extinct in Dinagat and Siargao
Islands.[6][7] Across the country, its
population is severely fragmented and
reduced.

The Philippine brown deer generally thrives

in a terrestrial environment from sea level
up to at least 2,900 m (9,500 ft). It prefers
to forage in grasslands under primary and
secondary forests.[8][9][10][11] However, due
to forest denudation and excessive
hunting, they are driven uphill to hide in the
remaining patches of forests.[1]

It was introduced to Guam by Mariano

Tobias sometime around 1771 to 1772 to
be used in recreational hunting. The deer
subsequently populated other neighboring
locales in Micronesia, including the islands
of Rota, Saipan and Pohnpei. However, in
the absence of a natural predator, its
population is rapidly expanding in Guam,
posing serious threats to the native
ecosystem and agricultural lands due to
overgrazing. Hence, management
programs are imposed to significantly
reduce the deer population.[12] In addition,
there have been reports of introduction in
Ogasawara Islands, Japan during the late
18th and 19th centuries, which
immediately went extinct in 1925. A
population from Guam was re-introduced
after World War II, but followed the same
fate years later.[13]

Behaviour and ecology

Philippine deer are generally nocturnal,
foraging for food (grasses, leaves, fallen
fruits and berries) at night. During the
daytime, they rest in the dense forest
thickets.

The mating season is usually from

September to January. During this time,
females gather in small groups, composed
of at most eight deer; males are drawn to
them by the females' pheromones. During
these intense few months, males are virile,
more vocal (to call females), and
aggressively solitary. As with some other
species of deer, one male will defend an
area about the size of a football field
against any intruding males. The two
males will huff, scrape the ground and lock
antlers. Fights do not often lead to
bloodshed or death, but hormones are
nonetheless heightened at this time. Many
tense encounters between males result in
nothing more than bluff charges, and the
loser willingly retreats or is chased off of
the boundaries of the territory. These
boundaries are constantly updated
through urinating, defecating in key spots,
and rubbing oil scent glands on
surrounding plants. Any other male setting
foot within another's range is seen as a
potential threat.

Once the mating season comes to an end,

males will often reconvene into their small
bachelor herds. However, some male deer
may spend time alone, regardless of
mating success, before joining any others'
company. After approximately six months,
females give birth to a single fawn with
light-colored spots, which will eventually
disappear after several weeks.
As a cultural keystone
The Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe in Barangay
Sibulan, Toril, Davao City identified the
Philippine brown deer as a "cultural
keystone species" (CKS). This means that
the deer plays a vital role in their culture.
As a matter of fact, tribesmen claimed
that their tribe would be incomplete
without the deer. To preserve their cultural
pride by avoiding over-hunting, the tribe
has declared hunting and non-hunting
zones in the forest.[14]
Threats

There are several threats that contribute to

the rapidly declining population of the
Philippine brown deer. Habitat loss and
fragmentation drive the deer to hide in the
remaining patches of forest with scarce
food to eat. While they forage in
grasslands, the deer prefer forest shade as
hiding places, especially during daytime.
The deer also has low fertility, giving birth
to a single fawn in each conception. This
means that excessive hunting has a high
tendency of declining their population. The
deer is hunted for meat, usually sold at
PhP150-250 per kilogram. Ethnoecological
evidences also reveal that the antler of the
deer aside from being a common
household decoration, is also used to treat
stomach ache, tooth ache, fever, etc. This
is done by scratching the surface of the
antler with a sharp object (e.g. knife), then
adding the powder into a glass of water
before drinking.[15]

Conservation
The deer was rare (R) in 1994, data
deficient (DD) in 1996, and vulnerable (VU)
since 2008 up to present. This is because
of the rapid population decline estimated
to be more than 30% in the last 24 years or
three generations due to excessive
hunting, shrinkage in distribution, and
habitat loss and fragmentation.[1]

Fossil record
In prehistoric times, the Sunda island of
Borneo might have been connected to
Palawan during the penultimate and
previous glacial events, judging from the
molecular phylogeny of murids.[16] In
Palawan, two articulated phalanx bones of
a tiger were found amidst an assemblage
of other animal bones and stone tools in
Ille Cave near the village of New Ibajay.
The other animal fossils were ascribed to
deer, macaques, bearded pigs, small
mammals, lizards, snakes and turtles.
From the stone tools, besides the evidence
for cuts on the bones, and the use of fire, it
would appear that early humans had
accumulated the bones.[17][18]

Using the work of Von den Driesch,[19] all

chosen anatomical features of
appendicular elements' anatomical
features which were chosen, besides
molars, were measured to distinguish
between taxa that had close relationships,
and see morphometric changes over ages,
though not for pigs or deer. For the latter
two, cranial and mandibular elements,
besides teeth of deer from Ille Cave were
compared with samples of the Philippine
brown deer, Calamian hog deer, and
Visayan spotted deer, and thus two taxa of
deer have been identified from the fossils:
Axis and Cervus.[20] Throughout deposits
of the Terminal Pleistocene and early
Holocene and Terminal Pleistocene at Ille
Cave, elements of deer skeletons are
regular, gradually becoming less before
vanishing in the Terminal Holocene. One
'large' and one 'small' taxon can be easily
differentiated by the significant change in
size observed in the postcranial elements
and dentition.[20] The Philippine brown
deer from Luzon appears to be closely
matched to the 'large' taxon of deer found
in the Palawanese fossils, from dental
biometric comparisons which are similar
between the latter and extant members of
the genus Cervus or Rusa, particularly the
Philippine brown deer (C. mariannus) and
spotted deer (C. alfredi). However, the
Philippine brown deer shows significant
variation across its range, with populations
on Mindanao Island being smaller than
those of Luzon. Thus, it is possible that the
overlap between the Luzonese brown deer
and the archaeological material is
coincidental, and that the fossils could
belonged to another species of Cervus
that had occurred in Palawan, with the
taxonomic classification being
unresolved.[21] Otherwise, members of the
genus Cervus are no longer seen in the
region of Palawan.[20]

See also
Javan rusa

References
1. MacKinnon, J.R.; Ong, P.; Gonzales, J.
(2015). "Rusa marianna" (https://www.iucnr
edlist.org/species/4274/22168586) . IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species. 2015:
e.T4274A22168586.
doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-
2.RLTS.T4274A22168586.en (https://doi.or
g/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T4274
A22168586.en) . Retrieved November 19,
2021.
2. Meijaard, I. and Groves, C. P. 2004.
Morphometrical relationships between
South-east Asian deer (Cervidae, tribe
Cervini): evolutionary and biogeographic
implications. Journal of Zoology 263: 179–
196.
3. Oliver, W.L.R., Dolar, M L. and Alcala, E.
1992. The Philippine spotted deer, Cervus
alfredi Sclater,conservation program.
Silliman Journal 36: 47–54.
4. Rickart, E.A., Heaney, L.R., Heidman, P.D.
and Utzurrum, R.C.B. 1993. The distribution
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Zoology 72: 1–62.
5. Oliver, W.L.R., Dolar, M L. and Alcala, E.
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_Heaney/publication/265103599_The_Ma
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42aca360cf277d58e89b1b7.pdf) .
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 9. Sanborn, C.C. 1952. Philippine Zoological
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flora and fauna. Natural Resources
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12. Wiles, G., Buden, D., & Worthington, D.
(1999). History of introduction, population
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Mammalia 66: 451–452.
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marianna)
15. Villamor, C.I. 1991. Deer captive breeding
practices at a glance. Canopy International
(Philippines):10–12.
16. Van der Geer, A.; Lyras, G.; De Vos, J.;
Dermitzakis, M. (2011). "15 (The
Philippines); 26 (Carnivores)" (https://book
s.google.com/books?id=JmSsNuwMAxgC&
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17. Piper, P. J.; Ochoa, J.; Lewis, H.; Paz, V.;
Ronquillo, W. P. (2008). "The first evidence
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Philippines: extinction in an island
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20. Piper, Philip J.; Ochoa, Janine; Robles, Emil
C.; Lewis, Helen; Paz, Victor (March 15,
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 21. Meijaard, E.; Groves, C. (2004).
"Morphometrical relationships between
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