The vernacular name "chital" (pronounced /tʃiːtəl/)[5] comes from cītal (Hindi: चीतल), derived from the Sanskrit word citrala (चित्रल), meaning "variegated" or "spotted".

The chital was estimated to have genetically diverged from the Rucervus lineage in the Early Pliocene about 5 million years ago.

[14] Remains of the chital were found in the Middle Pleistocene deposits of Thailand along with sun bear, Stegodon, gaur, wild water buffalo and other living and extinct mammals.

The preorbital glands, larger in males than in females, are frequently opened in response to certain stimuli.

[16] The milk canine, nearly 1 cm (0.39 in) long, falls off before one year of age, but is not replaced by a permanent tooth as in other cervids.

The pedicles (the bony cores from which antlers arise) are shorter, and the auditory bullae are smaller in the chital.

It also occurs in the Sundarbans and some eco parks around the Bay of Bengal, but is locally extinct in central and north-eastern Bangladesh.

[27] The chital was the first species of deer introduced into Australia in the early 1800s by John Harris, surgeon to the New South Wales Corps, and he had about 400 of these animals on his property by 1813.

[35] Hawaii law now prohibits "the intentional possession or interisland transportation or release of wild or feral deer.

[39] There have been sightings of herds of introduced chital in an interandean valley near the municipality of Puerto Triunfo in Antioquia Department.

In the summer, time is spent in rest under shade, and the sun's glare is avoided if the temperature reaches 80 °F (27 °C); activity peaks as dusk approaches.

As days grow cooler, foraging begins before sunrise and peaks by early morning.

[16] A study in the Gir National Park (Gujarat, India) showed that chital travel the most in summer of all seasons.

[41] When cautiously inspecting its vicinity, the chital stands motionless and listens with rapt attention, facing the potential danger, if any.

As an antipredator measure, chital flee in groups (unlike the hog deer that disperse on alarm); sprints are often followed by hiding in dense undergrowth.

[26][44] Studies in the Nallamala Hills (Andhra Pradesh, India) and the Western Ghats (western coast of India) showed seasonal variation in the sex ratio of herds; this was attributed to the tendency of females to isolate themselves ahead of parturition.

[18][26] A vocal animal, the chital, akin to the North American elk, gives out bellows and alarm barks.

They stand on their hind legs to reach tall branches and rub the open preorbital glands to deposit their scent there.

[15] An interesting relationship has been observed between herds of chital and troops of the northern plains grey langurs, a widespread South Asian monkey.

[26] The chital also benefit from fruits dropped by langurs from trees such as Terminalia bellirica and Phyllanthus emblica.

They prefer young shoots, in the absence of which, tall and coarse grasses are nibbled off at the tips.

Browse forms a major portion of the diet only in the winter-October to January-when the grasses, tall or dried up, are no longer palatable.

[18] In the Kanha National Park, mineral licks rich in calcium and phosphorus pentoxide were scraped at by the incisors.

[48] Chital in the Sunderbans may be omnivores; remains of red crabs have been found in the rumen of individuals.

[18][26] The chital is found in large numbers in dense deciduous or semi-evergreen forests and open grasslands.

[26] The highest numbers of chital are found in the forests of India, where they feed upon tall grass and shrubs.

Chital have been also spotted in Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan, which has the only remaining natural sal (Shorea robusta) forest in the country.

However, population densities are below ecological carrying capacity in many places due to hunting and competition with domestic livestock.

[2] The chital has been introduced to the Andaman Islands, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Alabama, Point Reyes National Seashore in California,[citation needed] Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Texas in the United States, and the Veliki Brijun Island in the Brijuni Archipelago of the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia.

[2][49][50] With effect from 2 August 2022, the European Union added the chital to the list of invasive alien species and banned its import into the EU.