# Chital (*Axis axis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/chital  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The chital (Axis axis), also called the axis deer or spotted deer, is a mammal in the family Cervidae, subfamily Cervinae, within the order Artiodactyla. It is a large, terrestrial, nocturnal herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 67.3 kg. The chital has a lifespan of 20.8 years and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 45.5 kg – 67.3 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Height | 70 cm – 90 cm |
| Lifespan | 20.8 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 210 days – 227 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.03 |
| Age at maturity | 21.5 months – 2.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.01 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Cervidae
- genus: Axis
- species: *Axis axis* (Erxleben, 1777)

Synonyms: *Cervus axis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the chital?

The chital is a mammal in the family Cervidae and the order Artiodactyla. It is also called the axis deer, spotted deer or Indian spotted deer.

### How heavy is a chital?

The chital has a representative adult body mass of 67.3 kg, which places it in the large size class.

### What does the chital eat?

The chital is a herbivore.

### Is the chital endangered?

No. The chital is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a chital live?

The chital has a lifespan of 20.8 years.

### How many young does a chital have?

The chital has one young per litter and one litter per year, after a gestation period of 227 days.

### Who named the chital?

The chital, Axis axis, carries the authority (Erxleben, 1777).

### Is the chital nocturnal?

Yes. The chital is nocturnal and lives a terrestrial lifestyle.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Chital (Axis axis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/chital