The females, accompanied by their fawns, form herds led by a dominant female. The size of the herds depends on the season: they are larger during the dry season and disperse during the rainy season. Males are solitary, bellowing like donkeys, and during the rutting season they fight to form a harem of up to 30 does. When danger threatens, they emit a shrill barking sound.

Also known as Barashinga or swamp deer, the Duvaucel's deer has a beautiful orange-brown coat in summer, which turns grey-brown in winter when it sheds its fur. Females are generally paler than males. Its large hooves are adapted to walking on wet and marshy ground. It can submerge itself completely to feed on aquatic plants. 

Its antlers can measure up to 75 cm.

Its name was given to it by Cuvier in honour of the French naturalist Alfred Duvaucel (1793-1824). 

The Duvaucel's deer is threatened with extinction, mainly due to the drainage of wetlands and industrial development, which has isolated populations from one another. It is also hunted if it destroys crops. It is now found almost exclusively in a few reserves. Those in the Haute-Touche Zoological Reserve are part of breeding programmes with a view to eventual reintroduction.