The stocky build and distinctive gait of the hog deer, head down under the forest canopy in search of food, are reminiscent of the domestic animal from which it takes its name. Like its namesake, it clears obstacles by passing underneath them rather than jumping over them like other deer! It bears no resemblance to a pig in terms of physique and does not have a curly tail...

Males are generally larger and darker than females. Their antlers are fairly simple, consisting of only three points.

Deer have several scent glands: "lacrimal glands" at the front of the eyes and, on the hind limbs, interdigital glands (between the toes) and metatarsal glands (on the feet).

Once widespread from Pakistan to Indochina, pig deer have virtually disappeared from China, Cambodia and Vietnam. There are many reasons for this decline: they are hunted for their meat or for their antlers, which are used in traditional medicine; they are persecuted by farmers; and they suffer from the loss and degradation of their natural habitat. Their numbers have fallen by 50% to 90% over the last 20 years in the Philippines and Thailand. In India and Nepal, outside protected areas, a few viable populations are holding out, despite hunting pressure.

Rather solitary, hog deer only gather in groups when food resources are plentiful or during the mating season. Unlike most deer, males do not form harems and mate with only one female. Births take place at the beginning of the dry season. Fawns, which are usually spotted with white, remain hidden in tall grass for several weeks, sheltered from their main predators (tigers, dholes, panthers, pythons).

When danger threatens, warthogs flee in different directions rather than staying together as a herd, emitting a warning whistle, or, being good swimmers, take refuge in the water.