Axis deer Crossbreeding

Will axis cross with any other deer species?

I have wondered that also. Seems like the general consensus was no.

Chital (AKA Axis deer) share the genus Axis with three other species (Hog Deer,Calamian Deer and Bawean deer). So, hybridization with one of these is probably possible. That said, I don't think they will cross with whitetails, muledeer, etc.

I don't think they will but I watched a whitetail chase some axis does all over the pasture last year he was worn out, tongue hanging out and all ! so it must at least smell the same!

Any WT buck or Axis Buck will chase any doe in heat...just can't impregnate if it's not the same species.

Axis x hog deer crosses have been reported in Indian zoos. They are fertile and will back cross, other crosses that have been reported, were either nonviable or sterile.

Axis will cross with the animals in its same genus (like hog deer) as stated above.

Back in the 50's, Axis were brought to the YO Ranch for a WT/Axis crossbreeding experiment in an attempt to get larger framed WT antlers. While the original crossbreeding worked as intended, the next generation reverted to original pure genetics on both sides. The program was abandoned.

Won't they cross with a barasingha as well?

They will cross, in one case, 3 of 4 fawns were still born. The fourth did survive but there are no records of reproduction. It's unknown if breeding attempts with the cross were made.

I've never heard this? Source? They belong to very different genus's. Also even so that's stupid.....Can't people just let species be for what they are?

That story was related to me by a prominent ranch owner in Real County. He benefited greatly from that program.

I don't get how they could produce offspring? They belong in entirely different subfamilies

There is some information here deer hybrids

The same site also talks about dog x cow hybrids, human x pig hybrids, and rabbit x pigeon hybrids.......
And also tries to explain that we are pig X chimp hybrids....give me a break!

It's an aggregator of reports, in some cases they post a separate article on the report, usually providing links to more information. I wouldn't take the reports as gospel, just as starting points, for further investigation.

Reloader28,

Where is there any record of this that I can read if I would like to learn more about it? To be honest I admit to being skeptical.

What I have always read is the axis deer and the Whitetail are both members of the deer family but evolved from different branches of the family tree. The deer family has more then one original and came from more then one parent spices. Since axis deer did not evolve from the Whitetail they should be genetically incompatible with Whitetails, and cross breeding should be impossible. (The reason a white tail and mule deer can cross is the fact that the mule deer is in fact a hybrid itself that became a new spices.... the direct result of the cross breeding of the black tail and white tail .. so for this reason they can cross breed with both white tails and black tails. The mule deer is genetically half white tail half black tail so cross breeding is not only possible but common.) Any hybridization can only occur when the two spices are genetically compatible and have a command ancestor that they both evolved from.

I can attempt to find some corroborative text. May take me some time but I'll try.

I accept your skepticism. I haven't had any reason thus far to doubt the man. If I find out different I'll report that too.

Reloder, I have no doubt you are relaying what you heard, but I think someone was "Storying" you.

Axis and whitetail cannot hybrid or produce viable offspring. And nothing "reverts" back to "pure" genetics, even with species that CAN hybridize.

Now that being said, I believe YO did do some programs - but I believe it was RED DEER bred to whitetail and/or axis. The WT was a flop, but I think there was some success with redstag/axis that ended up with a semi-viable hybrid called a Staxis. If memory serves me correctly.

Now nature is a funny thing. Sometimes crossbreeds from two species that "are not supposed to" be able to breed so occur. Usually these spontaneous abort before birth. On rare occasions they survive birth but are deformed or have serious issues that cause them to die quickly. On super rare occaisions some of these survive a bit - but they are NEVER viable. Meaning they are sterile or otherwise cannot reproduce.

BTW, I also heard the "staxis" was actually spotted Sika (Dybowski) crossed with red deer and just LOOKED like a axis cross. That's just a rumor because Sika and Red Deer do cross.

John & Reloader28,

I have my doubts about any hybrids with axis deer outside their species ..so no whitetail x axis or Red Deer x Axis. One reason I find it difficult to believe is that on ranches in Texas today there are tons of places that have axis and whitetails on the same property and we don't see hybrids. And I don't think that artificial insemination was too widespread on exotics in the 1950's but maybe I am wrong. Similarly Red Deer and Axis did not evolve from a close enough common ancestor (same issue as with axis and whitetail) to make me think that there would be a viable breeding.

While I am not arrogant enough to say "NEVER" I have my doubts.

We have had WT and Axis in this area for many years. I have never seen anything that looked like a cross. I am pretty sure that if AI worked on either one of them it would have been tried by now and the offspring would be on WB.

Yes Tony, that is what I was saying - axis/whitetail didn't/doesn't happen and I have never found any documentation that it ever has even been tried. Sure, I've seen bucks chase or mount cross species - heck I once saw a buck mount another buck - but nothing comes of it.

Believe me, I've researched this a lot since I am an axis nut. But the ONLY thing I've ever found - and was poorly documented - was the stuff about the "staxis".

The red deer, Sika, are all part of the elk family. They can cross bred fairly easily and lots of documented hybrids.

Red Deer, Elk and Sika can all cross with one another..... well documented. Axis wont. So I think we agree!

We all need to keep in mind that what happens in a small pen or zoo situation likely doesn't happen in the wild. With only one outside of Genus cross reported as surviving to adulthood they are highly unlikely.

Kobus,
Aren't you the one who started the thread and asked about Axis deer Crossbreeding? Was your purpose to start a dialogue so that you could get on your soap box about the evils off cross breeding and the need to keep all species "pure"?

I got wt doe in heat all over the place with wt bucks chasing non stop. Also have several axis bucks on property and have not seen a single axis buck even put their nose in the air when around a wt doe in heat. Also have seen axis doe in heat around wt bucks with no response.

I don't think it happens in the real world.

I was curious about if they cross or not. I heard about the crossing with hog deer in zoos.

Black Eagle in Harper has a strong herd of both Hog Deer and Axis Deer. They keep to themselves.

On a ranch elk, red deer, or sika usually won't cross breed, but you put a elk bull in a pen of sika does you will get a bunch of hybrid fawns. In a small 10 acre pen you will have cross breeding take place. In the early 90's I was at the Priour ranch looking at Dale's mouflons. Dale pointed out a hybrid cross between his Dyboski Sika and a Axis. He said that was the only one he had seen. I have seen besides that one a couple of others that were crossed (axis x sika). I bought the last one that I saw. It was a doe. She looked basically like a sika with bright white spots. She hung around with the axis, but she always bred back to a sika. I raised several fawns from her. One other thing about her, she was cold sensitive like a axis. I eventually lost her in a ice storm we had. None of those crosses that I mentioned were planned. They were in small inclosures and it just happened.