I have a lot of pics regarding sambar from different areas of Victoria and colour ranges from charcoal type black to various shades of grey/brown etc,some have a very short bristly coat like a school doormat others very long bristles.I`m in possesion of sambar videos from India and i cant detect much diff at all from our deer except that the animals from Kanha have very spindly antlers mostly.There is a very slight possibility that our sambar have some remnants of rusa blood in their veins--- no-one knows for sure but for some stags showing longer inners than outers a rusa norm.