Hainan Eld's Deer Exhibit

I think?

@FunkyGibbon these look more like Eld's deer (Panolia eldii), most likely ssp. siamensis.

@UngulateNerd92 perhaps ssp. hainanus?

@FunkyGibbon yes that also crossed my mind, but last I read, genetic evidence doesn't support the validity of ssp. hainanus and thus synonymizes them with ssp. siamensis

@baboon or @Deer Forest I would like to hear your thoughts on the validity of ssp hainanus? What distinguishes them from other subspecies of Panolia eldii including ssp. siamensis? Perhaps smaller size than their mainland cousins?

Whether or not it is a valid subspecies I know that Guangzhou has a herd from Hainan, so unless they also maintain a second herd this is probably them.

@UngulateNerd92 This herd is from Hainan. Although I cannot distinguish Hainan Eld's deer from the siamensis Eld's deer (it is said that Hainan is smaller in size and more rufous in body color), I think they may be different subspecies since the Hainan Island isolated from mainland since the end of last Glacial Period. Because there are no Eld's deer fossil recovered in China mainland, the Eld's deer must travel to Hainan from Vietnam along the coastline of Sundaland during the Last Glacial Period, thus it is a close relative of siamensis, but according to a genetic research, among all the 15 haplotypes of Eld's deer, Hainan population has one peculiar haplotype of their own.

@baboon wow! Very interesting! Thank you for explaining this to us. I think I may have been convinced regarding the validity of ssp. hainanus.

Now that you mentioned it, these animals in this photograph do look more rufous than other ssp. siamensis I have seen.

@baboon could the animals on Hainan be a different species than their mainland cousins, or just a subspecies?

@UngulateNerd92 I believe they are just subspecies, because of their supersimilarity to siamensis. And one peculiar haplotype is not a huge difference.

@baboon ah ok thanks for the clarification. So let me ask you, how is the wild population on Hainan doing?

@UngulateNerd92 There are more than 600 Hainan Eld's deer now according to recent survey. The population was hit seriously by ticks recently but now recovered.