Sambhar Deer in Kanha

[Shyamala Kumar]

This particular Sambhar was busy peeling and consuming the bark of a tree,early morning Nov 2013.Canon 60D+100-400MM ISO1600 1/1250ss F/7.1 FL400mm

[Debasis Bose]

Nice moment captured. Sambar have a reputation for being mysterious and highly elusive and carries a famous adage - I didn’t get big by being stupid. Thanks for sharing

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Nice circumstantial evidence of Sambar feeding tree bark, no stock left! This Stag has notably long brow tine though the antler is of modest length but heavy. A fine record. Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I have seen Sambar pulling the bark of tree in Bandhavgarh by holding it in its mouth. It was a bit far for my taste so didn't click. That was during march end when the summer was yet to set in. Also, I have seen only bark of trees with about 6-12 inch dia (visual estimation) are used and not of old hard growth trees. So I suspect it is primarily to get nutrients and any moisture absorption is incidental. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Nice observations by Shri Sabyasachi.

Apropos my posting on 10-02-2014 (11.16 pm), I consulted books this morning and found that:

' M. Krishnan has observed Sambar Stags having such morphological character (comparative size of brow tine and antler and stoutness of antler in such cases) in NW Orissa near the then Bihar border and Dunbar Brander in parts of Madhya Pradesh. Not in other areas.'

Indeed a rare presentation by Madam Shyamala. Did you enquire about the name of the tree?
Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Addition: M. Krishnan has also observed this feature in Stags (some supported by photographs)
' in Badrama, Singhbhum and Hazaribagh'
SaktiWild

[Shyamala Kumar]

Saktipadaji, I think the tree whose bark was being consumed by such relish was the sal tree.