There is a huge range of deer species, from the moose to the small padu. They are found most part of the world.
Deer habitat, reproduction, feeding, distribution, anatomy, predators, social structure, communication and more.
Deer Threats and Conservation efforts. There are several species of deer considered as endangered.
Introduction to Deer
Deer are ruminant mammals belonging to the family Cervidae. This family classification include well known animals like the Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe and Chital among others.
All male deer have antlers, with the exception of the Chinese Water Deer, which have tusks. This is a characteristic very specific of deer that most people know. Sometimes a female deer will have a small stub, but the only female deer with antlers are Reindeer or Caribou.
The term deer covers a wide spectrum of species. It may surprise you to learn about all of the different ones out there. They all have unique characteristics about them. However, they all have many similarities and that is what most people know about them.
Deer seem to be beloved animals in the eyes of some. Who could ever forget the Disney classic Bambi? Yet deer can be dangerous too and most people don’t realize that. They can fight very hard with their legs when they feel they are in danger. As a result they have seriously hurt other animals and humans.
Deer can also be a danger on the roads as it can be hard to see them moving in the dark until it is too late. Of course these animals aren’t to blame; their natural habitat continues to be taken away from them. Even with warning signs in place where deer commonly cross the roads it is very dangerous.
The deer population in the wild can quickly get out of control. This is why most states have hunting seasons. In order to take part in this, individuals must have a hunter’s safety card. This shows that they have successfully completed a two day course about how to hunt and to lower the risk of injury to themselves or to others.
Hunting can take place with a rifle or with a bow. The application process requires a person to choose their hunting area, when they would like to hunt, and the type of weapon they are going to use. Not everyone is guaranteed to get a hunting tag for deer though. It really depends on the population.
This type of population control has to be done or the deer will end up starving to death. In some areas deer are raised in captivity, and then turned loose on certain grounds for hunters. Some people find this to be unnecessary but it is a very profitable business.
Telling the males from the females is simple, the males are much larger. They also grow antlers between their ears. You can tell the age of a buck by the size of his antlers. They bigger they are and the more points they have the older he is. The design of these antlers will depend on the species. As a side note, the female reindeer also grow antlers. This is the only known species to do so but some others have small nubs that form on the females.
Almost all deer are a shade of light to medium brown. Some of them have areas of white on them as well. This is a telling sign of the type of deer that you are talking about. However, there is one species that can be almost completely white. The Piebald Deer often appears to be sickly but it isn’t. This is a genetic characteristic of the species.
In the state of New York there is a species simply known as the White Deer. This is the result of a recessive gene that has been passed down through the genetic links. There is a good sized population of them and they are protected from hunting by law.
There is so much more than meets the eye with the deer species in the world. Taking some time to evaluate the different ones in detail can give you a new appreciation of these animals. A huge problem for them is trying to find a balance between humans and nature. Since the deer have no control over that, it is up to each of us to make good choices and to help protect their world as they know it.
Interesting Deer Facts
- Deer are ruminant mammals belonging to the family Cervidae.
- All male deer have antlers, with the exception of the Chinese Water Deer, which have tusks
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