The Javan Rusa Deer (Rusa timorensis), also known as the Sunda Sambar, is an impressive-looking species of deer native to the Indonesian isles and East Timor. It has been introduced in a number of locations throughout the southern hemisphere, where herds of Rusa Deer can be found today.
On this page we’ll discuss information about the Sunda Sambar, including its size, what it looks like, where it lives, how it reproduces and unique behavior and habits.
What Size is the Rusa Deer?
- Head & Body Length – 130 to 210 cm
- Shoulder Height – 80 to 110 cm
- Tail Length – 10 to 30 cm
- Weight – 50 to 115 kg
What Does the Javan Rusa Deer Look Like?
The Sunda Sambar resembles the other species of Sambar such as the Indian Sambar Deer, but is smaller in size.
The Rusa Deer’s coat is a grey-brown in color and is fairly uniform without any spots. The underparts and the insides of the legs are paler in coloration.
The Sunda Sambar appears a rather short and stocky deer, this is because of its short legs and strong body.
Only the males have antlers. These are three tined, and grow in a slight lyre shape.
The backwards tine of the antlers is larger than the two frontal tines. They grow up to 75 cm in length.
Female Rusa Deer are smaller in size than the males.
Where Do They Live?
Where are the Sunda Sambar native to, and where do they live today? What is their preferred habitat? We’ll answer those questions here.
Rusa Deer Distribution
The Sunda Sambar is found on a number of Indonesian Islands. It was probably introduced to many of these islands by man. It may have originated on Java and Bali, but we can not be sure as to its exact original distribution.
The Javan Rusa Deer is not at any conservation risk and is a relatively common deer in Indonesia.
Rusa timorensis Habitat Preferences
The Sunda Sambar is an adaptable species of deer, and one which is able to live in a wide variety of habitats, including forest clearings, grasslands and marshy river areas.
This adaptability has enabled it to remain common.
Mating & Reproductive Cycle
The main breeding period takes place between July and September for this species of deer.
At this time the male herds join with the female herds, and males compete with each other for dominance and the right to breed.
After an 8-month gestation period mostly a single young is born. The young are mostly born in March or April. The young accompany their mother shortly after being born. Rusa Deer fawns are not spotted at birth, and are weaned at 6 to 8 months of age. Sexual maturity is reached at 18 months of age.
Unique Behavior & Habits
The Sunda Sambar deer prefers to move and feed in the evenings – a way to avoid human contact. Most consider the Rusa to be a nocturnal deer.
Rusa Deer feed on various types of grass.
Although other types of Sambar are solitary, the Sunda Sambar is sociable. You’ll find it living in small groups of up to 25 animals of the same sex. Males and females only meet and co-mingle during the rutting period in the autumn.
Rusa timorensis has a number of predators including the tiger, the python and the crocodile.
Rusa Deer Around the World
Few deer have traveled as widely as the rusa. From its native home in Indonesia and Timor, the species has been introduced — deliberately, for food and sport — to a remarkable list of places across the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Mauritius, and several Pacific islands. In New Caledonia and Mauritius, rusa deer have become some of the most numerous large mammals on the islands, and in Mauritius they support a long-established venison industry.
In Australia, wild rusa herds are best known from coastal New South Wales — famously in and around the Royal National Park just south of Sydney — with additional populations in Queensland and elsewhere. There the species is managed as both a game animal and, in sensitive habitats, an unwanted invader, since heavy browsing and trampling by deer can damage native vegetation.
A Vulnerable Native, an Abundant Exotic
Here is the rusa deer’s strange paradox: while introduced herds thrive abroad, the species is in trouble at home. The IUCN Red List classifies Rusa timorensis as Vulnerable in its native range, where intense hunting — much of it illegal — and habitat loss have driven populations down across the Indonesian islands. A deer can be simultaneously overabundant in one hemisphere and declining in its homeland, and conservation planning has to grapple with both realities at once.
On the islands of Komodo and Rinca, rusa deer play a starring ecological role: they are the most important prey of the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard. Healthy deer numbers there are essential to keeping the dragons fed — one more reason the species matters far beyond the hunting trade.
Antler Decoration and the Rut
Rusa stags have a theatrical habit during the breeding season: they hook grass, ferns, and branches onto their antlers and parade with this headgear, apparently to look larger and more imposing to rivals and females. Rutting males are noisy too, giving loud, shrill calls that carry across the grasslands. Fights between well-matched stags involve antler wrestling and shoving, though most contests are settled by display before they come to blows.
What Do Rusa Deer Eat?
The rusa is primarily a grazer, and grasses and sedges make up the bulk of its diet. It also browses shrubs and herbs and takes fallen fruit and fresh leaves where available. Feeding mostly at night and in the early morning, rusa move between sheltering cover and open feeding grounds, and in introduced ranges they readily raid pastures, crops, and gardens. Compared with strictly forest-dwelling deer, the rusa’s grass-heavy menu is closer to that of open-country grazers — part of a broad spectrum explored in our guide to what deer eat.
How the Rusa Compares to Its Relatives
The rusa belongs to a small genus of Southeast Asian deer, and comparing the members helps put it in context:
- Sambar — the rusa’s larger cousin is taller, heavier, and shaggier, and is typically a solitary forest animal, while rusa are sociable deer of grasslands and forest edges
- Philippine deer — a smaller, darker relative native to the Philippine islands, filling a similar niche there
- Axis deer — not a member of the rusa genus, but another widely introduced Asian deer; its white-spotted coat instantly distinguishes it from the plain gray-brown rusa
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there rusa deer in Australia?
Yes. Rusa deer were introduced to Australia in the 1800s and early 1900s, and wild populations persist today, most famously around Sydney’s Royal National Park and along the New South Wales coast, with herds in Queensland as well. They are classed as an introduced game species and are actively managed.
What is the difference between a rusa deer and a sambar?
Size and lifestyle are the giveaways. The sambar is considerably larger and heavier, with a shaggier coat, and tends to live alone in dense forest. The rusa is smaller and stockier, prefers grasslands and forest edges, and lives in groups. Both carry three-tined antlers, but the sambar’s are typically much more massive.
Why do rusa deer put grass on their antlers?
During the rut, stags deliberately drape vegetation over their antlers. Researchers believe this makes a male look bigger and more impressive to rivals and potential mates — a low-cost way to win contests without fighting.
Related species: To meet the rusa’s closest relatives, read about the Indian sambar deer and the Philippine deer — or compare it with another great traveler, the axis deer.
