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The animal on the cover of Modern Java Recipes is the sambar (Rusa unicolor), a species of large deer native to southern Asia that tends to congregate in close proximity to rivers. Adults range in height from 40–63" at the shoulder, and adults tend to weigh 200–700 pounds, with males being significantly larger than females. The sambar is the third-largest extant cervid species, after the elk and moose.

Sambar are crepuscular or nocturnal, and usually live in small groups, the males living alone for most of the year while females form herds of as few as three individuals. Sambar demonstrate greater bipedal capability than other deer species, allowing them to reach higher foliage and mark territory, as well as to intimidate predators. Sambar are unique among deer species in the proficiency with which females protect their young, preferring to defend themselves in water where they can take advantage of their height and powerful swimming capabilities.

The IUCN Red List assigned Vulnerable status to the sambar in 2008. The decline in global population is due to industrial and agricultural development encroaching on their habitat, as well as overhunting—the males’ antlers are highly sought-after for display as trophies and for use in traditional medicine. While its population in Asia is declining, the sambar population in New Zealand and Australia has grown steadily since their introduction in the late 19th century, to an extent that they now presents a threat to endangered native plant species.

Many of the animals on O’Reilly covers are endangered; all of them are important to the world. To learn more about how you can help, go to animals.oreilly.com.

The cover image is from Lydekker’s The Royal Natural History. The cover fonts are URW Typewriter and Guardian Sans. The text font is Adobe Minion Pro; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is Dalton Maag’s Ubuntu Mono.