Types of deer. List, description, photo

There are many different species of animals and birds, but very few of them can feel comfortable in the harsh conditions of the northern taiga and tundra. They are among those few for whom a cold climate with snowy expanses is their home. Do you know what a female deer looks like, what this animal is called and how it is adapted to life in the snow? This is worth talking about, it is interesting and educational.

After all, these beautiful animals They live not only in the wild, but they have been successfully domesticated, and entire herds of domesticated deer now graze in the taiga, like ordinary cows in our meadows. Today, the number of domestic deer already far exceeds the number of their wild counterparts.

The peoples inhabiting the tundra call wild reindeer"sokzha", probably few animal lovers know about it. Wild female reindeer - what is she called in the language of the local people? The name is quite interesting - “important”. A small fawn up to one year old is called “neblyuy” or “nesplit”, and a newly born baby is generally called by a very cute name - “fawn”.

If we have already touched on the topic of what a female deer is called, then let’s go over the names of other artiodactyl and horned representatives of the animal world. Deer are females of the European deer, and although it’s almost tempting to pronounce it, they are female deer. Female moose are moose cows, this is quite natural. A roe deer, whether male or female, still remains a roe deer, although in some places they are called a goat and a goat. Well, they really look like these animals. But let's return to the question of what a female deer is called. Vazhenka - the emphasis in this word is placed on the first vowel. Beautiful name, maybe they called her that because of her important appearance? Quite possible.

Reindeer Harem

The mating season for reindeer takes place in the autumn, during September-October. At this time, males often engage in battles for the favor of the female. If you are close to the herd during the rut, you will almost constantly hear the clashing horns of the fighting “cavaliers”, but, as a rule, such fights are very short: they knocked the branchy beauty on their heads against each other for a minute and ran away.

Deer are no different; they are polygamous, each male gathers his own harem around himself. The older and more respectable the bull, the larger his harem; females love to be under the protection of a strong “guy”. The group of “beloved” important women includes from 5 to 10 ladies. True, the composition of this group is almost impossible to accurately determine, the herd is constantly mixed and “betrayal” in deer families is quite possible, especially if the herd consists of a large number of individuals.

The strongest deer take custody only of those females who are in heat. As soon as this romantic period ends for the important woman, the male is no longer interested in her, he switches his attention to another.

Female deer: what is it called, description

The size of reindeer is not small at all. The animals reach 2-2.3 meters in length, and their weight is also impressive - 130-220 kg. The height at the withers is 1.4 meters, but quite often you can find very low animals - 1.2 meters at the withers.

Fur color in summer time- gray-brown with coffee shades; in winter they appear on light fur dark spots. There is a mane on the neck. For some it is very beautiful, but for others it is almost invisible, it is so small. Reindeer's fur protects them from severe northern frosts. It is short (1-2 cm), but, thanks to the thick undercoat, it is extremely warm.

We have already found out what the female deer is called; the name “important” suits her very well. Now it's time to talk about horns. Do important women have such decoration? It turns out yes. Reindeer are the only members of the family in which males and females have antlers. Females are much smaller in build than males, and, accordingly, their horns are also smaller. But they have another advantage - the females walk around with antlers all winter, while the males shed them at this time. Nature thus made sure that pregnant females could defend for themselves the best place near the feeder. Immediately after calving, the horns can be removed, which is what they do.

Female deer and her cubs

The cubs are carried in the womb for eight months. In most cases, only one fawn is born; very rarely there are twins.

Newborn cubs lie down under their mother’s side for the first day, and on the second they already follow their parent, not lagging behind even a step. On the twentieth day of life, babies' horns already begin to grow. The fawn feeds on its mother's milk until the beginning of winter.

Interesting facts from the life of reindeer

As mentioned earlier, reindeer are unusual animals that can live in a very harsh northern climate, while still managing to find food under the snow and give birth to offspring.

Interesting Facts about deer:

1. If a reindeer has the opportunity to snack on a bird delicacy, then it can easily eat an adult bird; small rodents can also be on the menu of the handsome horned one.

2. To maintain salt balance in the body, deer not only drink, they also chew on shed antlers. If there is a lack of mineral salts, they can even gnaw off each other’s horns.

3. Deer are excellent swimmers. They are able to easily swim across a river of several kilometers.

4. Migrating deer travel more than 500 kilometers.

5. Migration has been taking place along the same path for decades.

6. Deer have a well-developed sense of smell. Under snow about 1 meter deep, they smell their main food - reindeer moss. In the wind, human smell can be heard at a distance of 4 km.

7. Reindeer are almost completely deprived for this reason, when running, they stick out their tongues, like dogs.

Reindeer are very beautiful and stately animals. They have many “superpowers” ​​that allow them to survive in the Far North. Most people don't even know about some of them. Few people know what a female deer is called. Let's not waste time and tell you everything in order.

Before we find out what a female reindeer is called, let's talk a little about this species.

Habitats

Reindeer can be found in the tundra, taiga and forest-tundra, in areas richest in vegetation. Animals can live in mountainous, flat, and even swampy areas. The favorite places of deer are the banks of lakes and rivers, where the grass is especially lush and where there is water.

To be more specific, deer live in the following areas:

• mountainous regions of Norway;
• northern part of Russia;
• USA (Alaska);
• Canada.

In Sweden and Finland today only domestic reindeer live.

Super abilities

Unusual abilities allow deer to survive in the harsh northern terrain:

• They can dig through a meter-thick layer of snow in search of their favorite delicacy - reindeer moss. Usually they dig snow with their front legs, which have special structure: The edges of the hooves are pointed, and their entire surface is slightly concave.
• Deer swim well. To some extent this is due to their fur. The hairs are hollow inside. The air with which they are filled allows the animals to stay afloat.
• In summer, deer fur is short, and in winter it can reach such a length that a “mane” forms in the neck area. This allows the artiodactyls to feel comfortable at any time of the year.

Offspring

The main purpose of a female deer is, of course, the birth of offspring.

The breeding season, the rut, begins around mid-October and lasts about a month.

• First, mixed herds of several males and a large number of females are formed.
• Then these herds are split into smaller ones.
• Males compete and sometimes even fight for females. At this time they lose a lot of strength, some even die.

The female's pregnancy lasts 8 months, after which one fawn (sometimes two) is born in May-June. On the very first day, a murrelet (as a newborn deer is called) gets to its feet, and already at a week of age it is able to run quickly and even swim across large rivers.

About the female

We finally move on to the question of what a female deer is called.

Female European and sika deer are called doe (note, not female deer).

A female reindeer is called a female reindeer.

A wild reindeer (or sokzha is its second name) differs from a female only in size, but only slightly. It is very difficult to visually determine what gender the deer is standing in front of you.

Now you know what female deer are called. Interesting facts about important women and deer will also not leave you indifferent.

• Deer milk is very nutritious, its fat content is more than 20 percent and has a consistency similar to cream. Residents of the northern regions consume it in its pure form and use it to make butter, cheese and other dairy products.
• In the tundra, the offspring of domestic reindeer and wild reindeer are highly valued, but in the forest belt, where there are many domestic reindeer, such crossing is not accepted.
• Female reindeer are unique in that they are the only ones with antlers among all the representatives of the “females” of the deer family.
• Adult males shed their antlers after the rut, and young males, who are not yet participating in the rut, shed their antlers in the middle of winter. Females lose such decoration only after calving.
• In this regard, an amazing fact. Santa's famous reindeer, Rudolph, is a girl! Moreover, the entire team of Santa Claus's reindeer consists of females, because only they wear antlers throughout the winter.
• Moreover, during the Christmas period, a male deer has only 5 percent subcutaneous fat, while a female deer has 10 times more. This allows the important woman to tolerate even extremely low temperatures.

You may have learned something new about female deer by reading this article. What are their offspring called? unique abilities these amazing animals have, how to distinguish a sokzhu from a vazhenka - without this knowledge it is impossible to understand how amazing and unique these graceful inhabitants of the North are.

Deer is an animal of the chordate type, class Mammals, order Artiodactyla, family Deer (deer) ( Cervidae). The article provides a description of the family.

Yours modern name deer received thanks to the Old Slavonic word “elen”. This is what the ancient Slavs called a slender animal with branched horns.

Deer: description and photo. What does the animal look like?

The sizes of members of the family vary greatly. The height of the reindeer ranges from 0.8 to 1.5 meters, the body length is 2 meters, and the weight of the deer is about 200 kg. Small tufted deer barely reaches 1 meter in length and weighs no more than 50 kg.

The most slender body is distinguished by the red deer, which has a proportional build, an elongated neck and a light, slightly elongated head. The eyes of a deer are yellow-brown in color, with deep tear grooves located nearby. The broad forehead is slightly concave.

Some types of deer have thin, graceful limbs, others have short legs, but all are united by well-developed leg muscles and the presence of toes spaced apart and connected by membranes.

A deer's teeth are a good indicator of its age. Based on the degree of grinding of the fangs and incisors, curvature and angle of inclination, a specialist can accurately determine the age of the deer.

All species, except the antlerless water deer, are distinguished by branched antlers (called antlers), and only males are distinguished by such bone formations.

Reindeer is the only species of deer in which females have antlers just like males, but are much smaller.

Most species of deer that live in temperate latitudes shed their antlers every year. In their place, new ones immediately begin to grow, first consisting of cartilage, then overgrown with bone tissue. A deer's antlers grow depending on its diet: the denser the diet, the faster the antlers grow. Deer living in the tropics do not shed their antlers for years, and residents of the equatorial belt do not lose them at all.

The main function of a deer’s antlers is protection and attack, and their power determines the chances of a particular male individual to emerge victorious in a duel for a female deer. Reindeer use their antlers as tools, digging out snow with them to get to moss. The span of the horns of a seasoned male deer is 120 cm.

Deer sheds its antlers

And this deer has grown antlers of an atypical shape

The skin of a deer is covered with fur, thin and short in summer, and longer and thicker in winter.

The color of deer fur depends on the species and can be brown, coffee-brown, red-brown, brownish, gray, red, plain, with spots and marks.

Deer is an animal that is among the twenty fastest.

The speed of a deer escaping from a chase can reach 50-55 km/h.

Deer live in European and Asian countries, in Russia, and feel at ease in North and South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In conditions wildlife The average lifespan of a deer is 15-20 years. In zoos and reindeer farms, with good care, deer live up to 25-30 years.

Deer are animals that are quite unpretentious to their environment. They feel great both on the plains and in areas with mountainous terrain, and in wetlands, and in the zone of tundra mosses and lichens.

Many species inhabit extremely wet places, choosing to live in areas near water bodies. Preferring a mainly nomadic lifestyle, deer are found in forests with their herb glades in summer period, in winter they wander into impenetrable thickets, since there are usually fewer snow drifts there and it is easier to find food under a thin layer of snow.

Deer is a herbivorous animal, the diet of which depends on the species and habitat. In spring and early summer, deer feed on cereals, umbellifers, and legumes. Deer food in summer includes nuts, chestnuts, mushrooms, berries, and plant seeds.

During the warm season, deer eat buds, leaves and young shoots of trees and shrubs: maple, rowan, aspen, viburnum. Deer will not refuse pears, apples and other fruits. In winter, deer are forced to feed on the bark and branches of plants, pine needles, acorns and lichens.

Animals make up for the lack of minerals in the body with salt obtained from salt licks, chew soil rich in mineral salts, and drink water from mineral springs. To compensate for the protein deficiency, deer gnaw on their own shed antlers and are forced to consume bird eggs.

Types of deer, names and photographs

The modern classification of the deer family includes 3 subfamilies, 19 genera and 51 species. In addition to deer, representatives of the family include fallow deer, pudu, roe deer, moose, as well as mazamas, muntjacs, axis, sambars and barasinga.

The most interesting varieties of deer are rightfully considered to be the following:

• Noble deer(Cervus elaphus)

It belongs to the genus true deer and includes 15 subspecies. Representatives of the species are united by a characteristic white spot under the tail, which rises above the tailbone. There is no spotting in the color of red deer in summer. Deer antlers are distinguished by a significant number of branches (especially in European deer), forming a characteristic crown at the end of each antler. Depending on the subspecies, the size of a deer can be 2.5 meters in length and 1.3-1.6 meters at the withers, with a weight of over 300 kg (deer and wapiti). A small Bukhara deer weighs just under 100 kg and grows to 170-190 cm.

The diet of the animal in the spring-summer period consists of various legumes, grass and cereals. In winter, deer feed on shoots of bushes and trees, fallen leaves, various mushrooms, chestnuts, and tree bark. If there is a lack of food, deer can eat spruce or pine needles, lichens and acorns. Great importance For the normal life of these mammals, there is a salt balance, which they maintain on natural or artificial salt marshes.

The red deer lives over a fairly wide area, covering Western European, Scandinavian countries, Algeria, the Moroccan Republic and China, as well as both American continents, Australia and New Zealand. The main condition is the presence of a fresh body of water nearby. Red deer live in one specific area in herds of up to 10 individuals, although after the mating season their numbers can increase to 30.

• or caribou(Rangifer tarandus)

It stands out among its relatives by its upper lip, completely covered with hair, and the presence of horns in individuals of both sexes. The body size of an adult male is 1.9-2.1 meters with a weight of 190 kg, a female reindeer (which is also called a female reindeer) grows to 1.6-1.9 m and weighs up to 123 kg. The reindeer is a stocky animal, lacking the gracefulness inherent in deer and having a slightly elongated skull shape.

Reindeer food: grass that grows in abundance in the tundra, leaves of bushes, mushrooms, various berries. With a lack of protein nutrition, deer find bird nests and eat bird eggs and even young chicks laid in them. Reindeer also feed on small rodents - lemmings. The main food for deer in the tundra in winter is reindeer moss. Reindeer compensate for the lack of minerals in their meager food by eating their own antlers, drinking sea water or visiting salt marshes.

Reindeer live in the tundra and taiga in Eurasia, North America and islands of the Arctic Ocean. Numerous herds of reindeer live in lowland and mountain taiga regions, grazing in endless tundra and swampy expanses, making spring and winter migrations in search of food.

• Water deer(Hydropotes inermis)

The only antlerless deer in the family. The dimensions of the species are 75-100 cm in length, the height of the deer is 45-55 cm, and the body weight is 9-15 kg. An adult male deer is distinguished by saber-shaped curved fangs (teeth) that prominently protrude from under the upper lip. The skin is colored brownish-brown.

The main food of deer is leaves of bushes, young green grass, as well as juicy river sedge. Animals cause significant damage agriculture, making devastating raids on cultivated rice fields and destroying not only weeds, but also crop shoots.

Under natural conditions, water deer live in the floodplains of rivers in the eastern and central parts of China and the Korean Peninsula. Antlerless deer were brought to England and France, where they successfully adapted to the local climate. These animals lead a solitary lifestyle, finding a mate only during the rutting period. In search of food, they swim several kilometers, migrating between numerous islands in river deltas.

• or milu(Elaphurus davidianus)

A rare species of deer that completely died out in the wild at the beginning of the 20th century. Nowadays they are trying to restore the population in Chinese nature reserves, where the species originally existed. Representatives of the species acquired their name thanks to Armand David, a French priest and naturalist.

The body length of an adult deer is 150-215 cm, height at the withers can reach 140 cm, and the weight of the deer reaches 150-200 kg. An exceptional feature of this species is that David's deer change their antlers twice a year. These animals have an elongated narrow head, atypical for deer, as well as long curly hair on the body.

The food of David's deer consists of grass, young branches and leaves of bushes, sugar cane and a variety of algae.

Unfortunately, this species is no longer observed in natural conditions. All known individuals live in nature reserves and zoos. David's deer are animals that lead a herd lifestyle. Even before and after the mating season, they prefer to stay in small groups of up to 10 individuals. During the rut for the right to possess a harem of females, the males stage real massacres, using not only horns, but also teeth and forelimbs in the battle.

• White-faced deer(Przewalskium albirostris)

The animal has a large body up to 230 cm long and an impressive weight of up to 200 kg. The height of the deer at the withers is 1.3 m. This species received its name due to the white coloration of the neck and front of the head. A distinctive feature of the species is the high, wide hooves and large white deer antlers.

White-faced deer feed on various grasses growing in spacious alpine meadows. As food, animals happily eat numerous types of clover, meadowsweet, grandiflora beech, angelica and variegated fescue. In addition, they often eat foliage from low-growing bushes.

The white-faced deer lives mainly in the coniferous forests of eastern Tibet and some Chinese provinces. The animals are found in the mountainous regions of the Alps, located at an altitude of more than 3,500 meters above sea level. They form communities, the number of which does not exceed 20 individuals. In search of food, deer often migrate to altitudes of up to 5000 m.

• Tufted deer(Elaphodus cephalophus)

The animal has a black-brown crest on its head, up to 17 cm long. Adult deer grow to a size of 110-160 cm with a body weight of 17-50 kg. The color of a deer can be dark brown or dark gray. The horns are short and unbranched, barely visible from under the crest.

In addition to the typical plant food, consisting of leaves of trees and shrubs, grass and various berries, tufted deer often eat small carrion, which is the protein component of the diet.

Deer live in the territory of South and East Asia in forests located at an altitude of more than 4500 m. Very cautious animals lead a solitary and isolated way of life. They meet with representatives of the opposite sex only during the rutting season. They are most active at dawn or dusk.

• White-tailed deer (Virginian deer) (Odocoileus virginianus)

The most common member of the family, lives in North America.

It got its name from the interesting color of its tail, the top of which is brown and the bottom is white. The northern part of the population has a height at the withers of up to 1 m, and a body weight of about 150 kg. Representatives of the population living on the Florida Keys grow up to 60 cm at the withers and weigh only 35 kg.

In spring and summer, deer eat green growth of bushes or trees, lush grass, and also flowering plants. In addition, they raid agricultural fields where they destroy cereal crops. In autumn, deer eat fruits, berries and nuts. In winter, these animals have to make do with fallen leaves and branches.

White-tailed deer live on mountain slopes and in vast forests, as well as in the vast expanses of prairies and savannas in South and North America. Most of the time, Virginia deer lead a solitary lifestyle, gathering in small herds only during the mating season.

• pig deer(Axis porcinus)

It got its name for its original manner of movement, reminiscent of the movement of a pig. The height of the deer at the withers is 70 cm, the length of the body is 110 cm, the weight of the deer is about 50 kg. The animal has a fluffy tail, males are darker in color than females.

Deer live in the lowland landscapes of Pakistan, India, Thailand and other countries of South Asia. The species was also introduced to Australia and the USA. These animals lead a solitary lifestyle, rarely gathering in small herds.

Deer graze mainly at night, preferring to rest during the daytime, hiding in densely overgrown bushes. The deer's diet does not depend on the seasons and consists of a variety of grasses, as well as branches and leaves of low bushes.

• South Andean deer(Hippocamelus bisulcus)

The animal has a stocky build and short legs, adapted to move across mountainous landscapes. The deer measures 1.4-1.6 m in length and weighs 70-80 kg. Height at the withers is 80-90 cm. The deer's fur is brownish or gray-brown with white spots on the throat.

Deer live in the mountains of Chile and Argentina, where they live alone, gathering in small groups during the rut. Due to a sharp decline in the population, this species of deer is listed in the International Red Book.

The spring and summer diet of deer consists of a variety of grassy meadow vegetation. In winter and during snowfalls, they find food in wooded valleys. Here, deer food consists of leaves and young branches of bushes and trees.

• Dappled deer(Cervus nippon)

It grows in length up to 1.6-1.8 m with a weight of 75-130 kg. The size at the withers is 95-112 cm. The summer color of the deer is distinguished by a bright red-red color with white spotting; in winter the color fades.

Sika deer eat not only mushrooms, nuts, leaves and oak or alder shoots, but also a variety of herbs and berries. In winter, they find fallen leaves, last year's grass and acorns under the snow. In hungry years, the sika deer feeds on bark deciduous trees. Individuals living near the sea coast happily eat algae washed ashore and restore the mineral balance of the body with the help of sea salt.

Sika deer lead a herd lifestyle, gathering in small groups of 10–20 individuals. The distribution area of ​​this species covers the plains, mountains and foothills of the northern hemisphere. The sika deer lives in the Far East, central Russia and the Caucasus.

The largest member of the family

The most large mammal, part of the deer family, is elk ( Alces alces) . Adults can reach 2.3 meters in height at the withers and weigh 655 kg. The body length of a male moose is about 3 meters. The rather short body of the animal contrasts slightly with the long legs on wide hooves.

The elk's muzzle is more elongated compared to other representatives of the deer family, with large, fleshy lips. Regardless of gender, the fur of animals is dark brown, with the belly and legs being much lighter than the back and sides. Moose antlers have a flatter shape than other representatives of the genus. That is why the moose is called “elk”.

Moose live in many countries of the Northern Hemisphere; their range occupies a vast area from northern borders tundra to forest-steppe regions in southern Eurasia and North America. They live mainly in impassable thickets or wetlands, although they look for food on forest edges or along river banks. The diet of moose is varied and consists of forbs, mushrooms, berries, algae, tree branches and small shrubs.

The smallest deer in the world

Pudu- the smallest deer in the world. In the family Pudu There are only two types: southern pudu ( Pudu pudu) And Northern Pudu ( Pudu mephistophiles) . Pudu is a deer with a short body, the length of which rarely exceeds 90 cm, the height at the withers varies from 30 to 40 cm, the weight of the deer is from 7 to 10 kilograms, the length of short horns is from 7 to 10 cm. The thick short hair of the deer is colored brown -brown tint, the back and muzzle are somewhat darker, sometimes almost black.

The Pudu deer lives in the southern territories of Chile, Ecuador and Peru. The smallest deer in the world feeds on foliage and young branches of bushes and low trees. It does not form large herds, preferring to live alone, less often in pairs.

Although elk and deer belong to the same family, there are a number of significant differences between them.

• The antlers of elk and deer have differences: in moose they develop horizontally in relation to the surface of the earth and have wide spade-shaped branches. The deer's antlers fly up, and they are not so massive.
• Elk is the largest among the deer representatives. The weight of an elk can reach 655 kg. The weight of a deer does not exceed 350 kg, while in many species average weight fluctuates within 150 kg.
• The legs of an elk are taller and thinner than those of a deer.
• Differences are also observed in public organization animals. Elk, unlike deer, never form a herd, but live alone or in pairs.

Deer on the left, elk on the right

True deer differ from roe deer, which are also part of this family, in the structure of their antlers and the way they feed.

• The surface of a roe deer's antlers is rough to the touch and covered with various tubercles; moreover, they do not have branches, like the antlers of a deer.
• Another significant difference between a roe deer and a deer is that a roe deer will never feed on tree bark and branches of trees or bushes, whereas for a deer this is a significant part of the diet.
• There is also a difference in feeding the offspring. If deer feed their young while standing, then in roe deer this process occurs in a lying position.

Deer on the left, roe deer on the right

Reproduction of deer

Basically, deer are a herd animal, although some species lead a solitary lifestyle and look for a mate only during the rut.

A herd of deer, consisting of females and cubs, is led during the mating period by a male, who protects his harem group from rivals. Most deer rut European species begins in the fall and continues until the beginning of winter.

Deer's roar mating season can be heard over a long distance. Skirmishes often occur between males, when rivals lock horns in an attempt to knock the opponent down. The weaker opponent quickly backs down. Antlerless male deer do not take part in tournaments, but try to slowly sneak into someone else's harem.

Puberty in deer occurs early: a female deer is ready for fertilization at the age of 1.5 years, males mature by 2-3 years. Depending on the species, the pregnancy of deer lasts 6 - 9 months.

A female deer chooses a safe place to give birth. One fawn is born, and in rare cases twins. The color of most species of newborn fawns is spotted, which is an excellent camouflage and protection in the first year of life.

As soon as it is born, a baby deer can already stand on its feet. After a month, the little fawn begins to independently nibble grass and young shoots of plants, but continues to feed on its mother’s milk, often throughout the first year of life.

At one year of age, a male deer develops small tubercles (horns) on his forehead, which are destined to become the first antlers without branches. In the following seasons, the number of branches continues to grow, and each new deer antlers become more massive and stronger.

• Male deer wear the most luxurious antlers from 5 to 12 years, then the crown decreases and the antlers weaken. The period when deer shed their antlers occurs in early to mid-spring; ossification occurs after 3 months.
• The first deer on the planet appeared on the territory of modern Asia, more than 33 million years ago. After another 10 million years, artiodactyl animals moved to the European part, and from there they crossed to the North American continent along the natural bridge that existed at that time. Deer appeared in South America only 2 million years ago.
• In many cultures, deer signifies nobility, grace and speed. Christians consider the deer to be the personification of loneliness, piety and purity.
• Despite many natural enemies (wolves, lynxes, wolverines, big cats), humans remain the main enemy of deer. Since ancient times, deer have been mercilessly exterminated during trophy hunting, so popular throughout the world.
• Human attitudes toward deer are extremely contradictory: rare species are listed in the Red Book and are protected by many states. At the same time, deer is on the list of the most dangerous invasive species, because in some regions numerous populations actively eat rare plants, which leads to their complete disappearance.
• Unossified deer antlers (antlers) are of great value due to their unique healing properties. A hydroalcoholic extract obtained using antlers is used in pharmacology for the production of drugs prescribed for hypertension and diseases nervous system. Produced from ossified deer antlers food supplement- a powerful immunostimulant.

We begin to become acquainted with deer - one of the most beautiful representatives of the animal world - almost from childhood. Santa Claus rides home on a reindeer team on New Year's Day. A kind deer helps Gerda get to Snow Queen. The king from the fairy tale of the same name by Carlo Gozzi turns into this animal. According to Baron Munchausen, a whole cherry tree once grew on the antlers of a deer. As we get older, we learn that in Scandinavian mythology, deer graze in magical herds belonging to the gods, and that in the crown of the World Tree they eat buds, flowers and branches, symbolizing the elements of Time, and that deer is one of the most commonly found in heraldry of animals... And from history we know that hunting this graceful animal was exclusively a royal privilege and that a commoner would face the death penalty for accidentally killing a deer. In Christianity, deer represent hermitage, piety and purity and are often a symbol of the human soul thirsting for divine enlightenment, or of God himself.

This is what literature, mythology, religion and history tell us about the deer. What can science tell us about it?

Deer as it is Science is not so sublime in metaphors and, avoiding symbolism, dryly tells us that the deer is a representative of the family of artiodactyl mammals, the modern classification of which includes 51 species. She will tell us with subtle sadness that some species of deer have become extinct - for example, Schomburgk's deer and big-horned deer - and a number of species, found mainly in Asia, are on the verge of extinction. We are also surprised to learn that deer are not always large animals: for example, the smallest - pudú - is no larger than a hare, and the largest - elk - is the size of a horse. We also learn something interesting about his horns: for example, what is it - hallmark male, and only two species - water and northern - stand out in this regard from the entire family. Water deer have no antlers at all, but reindeer have antlers on both males and females. The shape of the horns depends on the species to which their owner belongs. They are updated every year.

The distribution range of deer covers Eurasia and America, in the south reaching the northwestern part of the African continent. Individual representatives brought by humans for their own needs can be found in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and some Caribbean islands. That is, the habitat for these animals can be a variety of climatic zones.

Deer feed mainly various parts plants, grass and moss, but the habitat also plays an important role in its nutrition. Many species live alone, but there are those that prefer to live in herds, the size of which depends, again, on the species and habitat. For the most part, these herds are harems of 4 to 11 individuals, in which one male protects from attacks by his females. They mark their territory with urine and special secretions from the head and leg glands. These same marks serve them for a kind of communication between relatives and the definition of “friend or foe.” Males are terrible owners, and not a single mating season goes by without a duel between males for the right to be the leader in the group and mate with females. The deer that loses the fight is usually removed. One female usually gives birth to one or two cubs.

At the row northern peoples Reindeer are still the main animal-drawn vehicle and means of transportation. In their life and everyday life, deer occupies such an important place that, for example, in the language of the Evenki people there are several dozen words to denote not only the type of individual, but also its age, appearance, etc.

Types of deer

When we get a general idea of ​​this animal, a fascinating geographical and biological journey through its species will begin, where a funny difficulty will await us. In a number of sources you can find the statement that in nature there are only 25 species, and what the extensive classification considers to be a species of deer - moose, roe deer and muntjac - are in fact just their closest relatives. These sources will also place American white-tailed and black-tailed deer in the roe deer genus. However, we will not go deeper into clarifying such subtleties, but will only briefly get acquainted with the main types of deer, which include:

water deer.
noble.
spotted.
northern.
white-faced
barasinga.
lyre deer.
Philippine spotted.
Filipino sambar.
Indian sambar.
axis
pork deer.
Kalamian.
Kulya deer.
David's deer.
American whitetail.
American blacktail.
swampy
pampas.
Northern Pudu.
Peruvian.
South Andean.
big mazama.

The differences between species lie in their geographic distribution, size and appearance characteristics of their representatives and lifestyle. And only then will science tell us a little about each species. Unfortunately, everything she told us will not fit into the framework of this article, so this time we will limit ourselves to a brief story about some Asian species of deer, as representing the greatest diversity in the animal world of the Earth, and about the large family of red deer.

Let me introduce myself... The easternmost representative of the deer family, living in Eastern China and Korea, is Water deer.
As an acclimatized species, it can be found in France and Great Britain, and the animal is also kept in many zoos. Its characteristic features are small height (up to 55 cm), body length (up to 100 cm) and weight (up to 15 kg), the absence of horns and the presence of saber-shaped fangs, a small, barely noticeable tail and a brownish-brown color, against which they stand out white upper lip and eye areas. The water deer lives in swamps and grassy thickets along the banks of lakes and rivers. It feeds on grass, leaves, mushrooms, and young shoots of plants. It leads a diurnal lifestyle and is very careful, so its lifestyle is still poorly understood.

Noble deer has the largest number of subspecies, which are found over a vast territory
from North Africa to Southeast China and North America. In Russia it can be found in the forests of some southern regions, in the Sayan Mountains and in the forests of Sikhote-Alin. It was also introduced to a number of countries in South America, Australia and New Zealand, where it underwent excellent acclimatization. Its most preferred habitat is broad-leaved, subtropical and taiga forests, river banks and mountain alpine meadows. In a sense, the red deer can be called an omnivore: its menu includes, in addition to grass, bark and leaves, cereals, legumes, pine needles, chestnuts, various nuts and seeds of various plants.

In some regions of Russia - in particular, in Altai, Primorye, and the North Caucasus - it is also found Dappled deer , so named because
the presence of white spots on the body of a red-red color. It is relatively short, reaching only 112 cm in height and weighing from 75 to 130 kg. (depending on age) with a body length of 160 - 180 cm. In winter, its elegant coat becomes dull. In nature, the population of sika deer is very small, so for some time now it has been bred on special farms. They breed it not only to maintain numbers, but also for the sake of young horns - antlers. In Chinese folk medicine, decoctions from them have been used since ancient times as a remedy that has a good effect, among other things, on male potency. The deer change its antlers in April, and already in June the antlers acquire those properties for which they are so highly valued.

White-faced deer - a resident of coniferous forests and mountainous regions of eastern Tibet and two Chinese provinces bordering it, capable of living at an altitude of up to 5 km. The Russian traveler N. Przhevalsky first told the whole world about it in 1883. The white-faced deer is quite large a species reaching a weight of up to 200 kg. and a height of 130 cm, which does not prevent him from easily and gracefully climbing the slopes of the Tibetan Plateau. The fur of the white-faced deer is short in summer and long in winter. Its color also changes: in summer it is brown, in winter it is closer to gray. In addition, the deer has a white coloration on the front of the head and neck (from which it gets its name) and high and wide hooves. White-faced deer live in groups consisting of either males or females with fawns. They feed mainly on herbs. The white-faced deer is an object of hunting primarily due to the fact that its antlers are valued in Chinese medicine as highly as the antlers of its spotted brother. Until now, it has not disappeared only due to the fact that it lives in relatively inaccessible areas and over a vast range, but the international conservation association environment assigned him the category “vulnerable”.

Barasinga deer (“twelve-horned deer”) lives in most of India, Pakistan and the Republic of Bangladesh, eastern Iran and southern Nepal. It got its name because of the large number of horn processes, which can reach up to 14 or even 20 pieces. The barasing is slightly taller than a white-faced deer, but slightly inferior in weight. Its horns are noteworthy - their length is on average 75 cm, but science knows of cases when they reached a meter in length. The deer's fur is monochromatic, light brown in color, slightly lighter in summer than in winter. In some representatives, barely noticeable spots can be seen on the body. The Barasinghi's native habitat is wetlands, grasslands and protected areas, in particular, the Dudhava forest, which at one time saved these animals from complete extinction. The deer feeds on grass, leads a predominantly morning and evening lifestyle, and rests the rest of the day. He has an excellent sense of smell, which helps him avoid danger from his main enemy - the tiger. At one time, this species was often found in the Indian animal world, but the reclamation of swamps and their plowing in the 20th century led to a sharp decline in its population. In addition, deer became the object of hunting due to its delicious meat and the use of horns to prepare a special flour that is used in Indian traditional medicine for chest diseases. Now its numbers are gradually growing. The closest “relative” of the barasinga is the lyre deer, which lives in some regions of Indochina. This species was first discovered in 1839 in the Indian state of Manipur (eastern India). It got its name due to the shape of its horns, which resemble a lyre. Today there is the following classification of its subspecies listed in the International Red Book:

Manipur, Thamin, Siamese deer. They differ by place of residence, which is reflected in the names. The Manipur deer lives in only one place -
national park Keibul-Lamjao near Loktak Lake (Manipur state). The Thamin deer is found in eastern India, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Thailand, while the Siamese deer is found in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Hainan Island and southern China. Their appearance is the same. The color of the lyre deer is similar to the barasinga, its height is about 110 cm, body length is up to 180 cm, weight is up to 140 kg. Females are noticeably smaller than males. These deer lead a solitary lifestyle, breaking it only for mating, and prefer to live in swampy plains and rough terrain with sparse bushes. Like the barasinga, the lyre deer eats grass.

Indian sambar - the largest deer living on the Hindustan Peninsula. Its weight reaches up to 320 kg, and its average height is up to 140 cm. It is also famous
the length of the horns - in other individuals they reached 129 cm. The color of the coat is uniform, light gray-brown. In addition to the countries of the peninsula, Indian sambar is common in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, southern China and other countries South-East Asia, where its habitat reaches the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. It is acclimatized in Australia, Turkey, Chile, Azerbaijan, New Zealand and the USA. Deer live near water, along river banks, and feed on grass, leaves and a variety of fruits. Leads by advantage night look life, during the day it hides in the thickets of forests, where it is able to move silently, despite its size.

In the forest foothills of the Himalayan mountains and in Sri Lanka lives axis – deer of small size and weighing up to 100 kg. with a reddish-golden coat color, along which
numerous small white spots are scattered. Of all the Indian deer, it is the most common, found everywhere except in dry areas devoid of any vegetation. As an acclimatized species, it can be found in the forests of Armenia. It feeds on grass and various vegetation, lives in large herds, in which there is a place for everyone: adult males, females and young animals. In captivity, Axis can live up to 15 years, but in nature its lifespan is shorter due to the presence of formidable and “influential” enemies - bengal tiger, red wolf, leopard, hyena, jackal, crocodile.

pig deer - another Asian resident of small size (weight up to 50 kg, length up to 110 cm, height up to 70 cm). In appearance it resembles an Axis, only without spots
on wool and with shorter legs. The color of males is darker than females, the lower part of the body and tail of both are lighter. The tail of the pig deer is fluffy. His lifestyle is solitary. Females with fawns sometimes gather in small herds. The natural habitat of this animal is flat areas. Eats grass. The distribution area basically coincides with the continental range of Indian sambar (except Afghanistan and Iran). Acclimatized in Ceylon, USA and Australia.

Dappled deer. Rare Asian species that are on the verge of extinction include the Philippine sika deer, the Kalamian deer and the Kul deer.
The main reasons for the catastrophic decline in their population are their isolated island lifestyle and shrinking habitat. We will probably talk in more detail about these species, as well as about David’s deer, which can only be found in European and Russian zoos and the Chinese Dafeng Milu Nature Reserve in other articles.

Conclusion

No matter how it is a pity, we will have to interrupt our journey through the species of deer at this point, although each species is interesting, unique in its own way and deserves to be said at least a few words about it. Perhaps someday we will return to this topic and find out, for example, how a swamp deer differs from a pampas deer and why the northern pudu is considered the smallest deer in the world...

The antlered deer has taken a strong place both in human mythology and in various everyday jokes, because it is generally accepted to compare a man whose wife is cheating on him with a deer, or rather its antlers. This is obviously connected with the fact that when in the old days men went hunting (including deer), their wives met with lovers at that time, hence the expression “set antlers.” On the other hand, among Indian tribes, deer is considered a sacred animal. “If you meet a sacred deer in the forest, happiness and good fortune await you,” as many Indian legends say. And, of course, killing a deer was a grave crime for the American Indians, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about white people.

Deer: description, structure, characteristics. What does a deer look like?

Deer belongs to the chordates, artiodactyl mammals, of the cervid (deer) family. Our name for this animal, “deer,” comes from the ancient Slavic “elen,” as our ancestors called this slender animal.

The size of a deer differs depending on its species, for example, the height of a large reindeer is from 0.8 to 1.5 meters, body length is 2 meters and weighs 200 kg. While the small tufted deer is only 1 meter in length and weighs no more than 50 kg.

The red deer has the most slender body; it has a proportional build, Long neck, slightly elongated head.

The deer's eyes are yellow-brown in color and have deep tear grooves nearby.

Some deer boast thin, graceful legs, others have short ones, but all deer, without exception, have well-developed leg muscles, which also serves as a means of survival for them. It’s not for nothing that it is one of the twenty fastest animals in the world; the speed of a deer running away from predators can reach up to 55 km per hour.

A deer’s teeth are clear indicators of its age; based on the degree of wear (wearing down the fangs and incisors), a good zoologist can easily determine how old it is.

The skin of a deer is covered with hair, which can be either thin in the summer or thick and warm in the winter. The color of a deer's coat is usually tan, tan, gray or red.

Antler

The branched antlers of a deer, perhaps, deserve special mention, because this is the most noticeable decoration of this animal, which is possessed by all types of deer (with the exception of antlerless deer) and only by males. Female deer do not have antlers, but again with the exception of reindeer, in which both males and females have antlers (although female reindeer have antlers that are several times smaller in size than males).

Interesting fact: many species of deer shed their old antlers about once a year, and new ones immediately begin to grow in their place. Deer antlers consist of cartilage and are then overgrown with bone tissue; their growth rate largely depends on the deer’s nutrition; the more saturated it is, the faster its antlers grow.

Deer living in tropical and equatorial latitudes shed their antlers rarely (about once every few years) or not at all.

The horns of a deer serve, among other things, for protection and also for attack. You might ask, why would a peaceful herbivorous deer attack someone? In fact, male deer often have fights with each other over females, during which they actively butt heads with antlers; the female goes to the winner with the strongest antlers. Reindeer also use their antlers to dig up snow to get to moss, a lichen that serves as their favorite food.

Where do deer live

Since deer are quite unpretentious to their habitats and feel quite at ease both on plains and mountainous areas, both in the cold tundra and equatorial belt, they can be found in many places on our planet. Deer live in many countries in Europe and Asia (including Ukraine), North and South America, and there are deer living in Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

How long does a deer live?

The life expectancy of a deer in natural conditions is on average 15-20 years. In zoos and reindeer farms, many deer can live up to 25-30 years.

What does a deer eat?

Since the deer is a herbivore, its diet depends on the places in which the deer lives, or more precisely on the vegetation of those places. Many deer eat young shoots of trees, grass, branches of bushes, and also tree bark, which serves as a significant part of their diet. Deer will not refuse to eat ripe fruits of apples, pears, and various berries. Reindeer living in the tundra love to eat moss, which they dig out right from under the snow with their branched antlers.

Enemies of the deer

In natural conditions, the dangerous enemy of deer is and, from which the deer often manages to escape with the help of its muscular legs. However, a pack of wolves, especially one acting in a coordinated manner, can easily drive down an old or sick deer. Also a dangerous enemy of deer is the human hunter, who kills this amazing animal for the sake of its antlers, which he then hangs as a hunting trophy somewhere near the fireplace.

Lifestyle of deer

Deer are nomadic animals, living in small herds of 10-30 individuals. In summer, they prefer to settle in forests, where the abundance of various trees and grass serve them as an excellent menu. In winter, they try to wander into impenetrable thickets, since this is where there are the least snow drifts and, as a result, a greater abundance of food under a relatively small snow cover.

What is the difference between deer and elk

Although moose and deer are close relatives and sometimes the moose is even mistakenly called the largest deer, there are a number of differences between them:

• The first difference is in the shape of the horn; in elk, the antlers develop horizontally to the surface of the ground, and also have wide spade-shaped branches. The antlers of a deer are always raised up.
• Elk is much larger than deer, its weight can reach up to 655 kg, while the weight of the largest deer does not exceed 350 kg.
• The legs of an elk are longer and thinner than those of a deer.
• Unlike deer, moose never gather in herds, preferring to live alone, at most in pairs of male + female.

On the left is a deer, on the right is an elk.

What is the difference between a deer and a roe deer

Roe deer, which are also part of the deer family, differ from the latter in a number of ways:

• The antlers of a roe deer do not have branches, like those of a deer.
• Roe deer, unlike deer, will never eat tree bark; otherwise, their diet is largely similar.
• There is a difference in feeding their offspring: if female deer feed their young while standing, roe deer do this lying down.

On the left is a deer, on the right is a roe deer.

Types of deer, photos and names

There are a large number of different types of deer in nature; below we will describe the most interesting of them.

The most beautiful representative of the deer family, has a slender body and proportional build. Under the tail of the red deer there is a characteristic white spot. The antlers of this species of deer are characterized by their signature branching. The red deer, in turn, is divided into several subspecies, its size depends on belonging to one or another subspecies, for example, a small Bukhara deer weighs about 100 kg and grows to 170-190 cm in length. While the subspecies of this deer is the maral , has up to 1.6 meters in length and weighs about 300 kg. The red deer lives over a wide geographical range and can be found in many European countries, China, North Africa, North and South America and Australia.

Also known as caribou. This deer, which lives in the northern regions, in the tundra, is distinguished by the fact that both males and females have antlers. And this is not just like that, the fact is that female reindeer need antlers for a practical purpose; with their help, they, like males, clear snow in order to get to the food, moss, and lichens located underneath. And besides this, reindeer are the only ones among reindeer that eat, including meat food, namely small rodents living in the same places. The reindeer's body length is 1.9-2.1 meters, weight - 190 kg.

Also known as the only antlerless deer. This is one of the smallest representatives of the deer family, its length is only 75-100 cm, and its weight is 9-15 kg. The water deer lives in the forest thickets of China and the Korean Peninsula. He is an excellent swimmer and can swim several kilometers, migrating between deltas of different rivers.

David's Deer

Also known as milu deer, is a very rare species, which was almost completely exterminated at the beginning of the last twentieth century. Now they are trying to restore their population again in the Chinese reserves where it lived before. It got its name from the French priest and naturalist Armand David, who was the first to describe this type of deer. It is of medium size, its body length is 140 cm, with a weight of 150-200 kg. Interesting feature David's deer is characterized by its frequent change of antlers, which occurs twice a year. They also have an elongated, narrow head, which is atypical for other deer.

This species of deer got its name due to its distinctive white coloration of the neck and front of the head. The antlers of this deer are also white. The length of the white-faced deer is 230 cm and weighs 200 kg. These deer live in the mountainous forests of Tibet and some Chinese provinces.

It has a black-brown tuft on its head, hence its name. Another distinctive feature of this deer is its short and not at all branched antlers. These deer live in the forests of South and Southeast Asia.

Also known as Virginia deer, as the largest population of these deer lives in American state Virginia (although in addition to Virginia it lives in other US states and also in Canada). It got its name due to the characteristic white color of its tail. The length of the white-tailed deer is up to 1 meter and weighs about 150 kg.

This deer received such a unique name for its unique manner of movement, somewhat reminiscent of the way a pig moves. The pig deer has a bushy tail. Males are darker in color than females. Lives in Pakistan, India, Thailand and other countries of Southeast Asia.

The sika deer has beautiful white spots on its red fur, which give it its name. The spotted deer is medium in size, its length is 1.6-1.8 meters, with a weight of 95-112 kg. This species of deer lives in the Far East, in the central zone of the Russian Federation and in the Caucasus. Currently, due to population decline, it is listed in.

Reproduction of deer

Deer lead a harem, polygamous lifestyle; the herd of these animals is led by a strong male who mates with several females. The same male deer protects his ladies from the encroachment of other competing males. In the fight for females, male deer stage real, almost knightly fights, clashing their antlers.

Deer reach sexual maturity early; by the age of two years, a female deer is able to give birth to cubs. Males become sexually mature at 2-3 years. The pregnancy of a doe, depending on the species, lasts 6-9 months. When the time comes for giving birth, the female looks for a cozy and secluded place for this purpose. Usually only one child is born at a time, only in rare cases can there be twins. Small fawns have a spotted color, which serves them as an excellent camouflage from predators.

Only after being born a little deer can already stand on its feet, and after another month breastfeeding he can already graze grass on his own, although he also continues to feed on his mother’s milk throughout the first year of his life.

After a year, the first small bumps on the head of young male deer begin to appear - future luxurious deer antlers.

• Deer antlers have healing properties in the treatment of hypertension and nervous diseases. Which, of course, is not good for the deer themselves, many species of which are already listed in the Red Book, as they are on the verge of extinction.
• Among many peoples and different times The deer was revered as a sacred animal, for example, the Mayan Indians sometimes even called themselves “deer people,” and the deer was considered their main tribal ancestor. Among the ancient Celts, the deer was considered a symbol of the Sun, fertility, vitality, and was personified with the god Cernun, whom the Celts depicted with deer antlers.
• Often the image of a deer can be found in medieval heraldry, where the deer symbolized grace and moderation.

Reindeer - wanderers of the north, video

And finally interesting documentary about reindeer.

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