Deer

Deer Temporal range: Early Oligocene – Recent
A fully grown male Red deer
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Suborder:	Ruminantia
Family:	Cervidae Goldfuss, 1820

Deer are a group of even-toed ungulate mammals. They form the family Cervidae.

A male deer is called stag or buck, a female deer is called doe, and a young deer is called fawn.

There are about 60 species of deer. They originally lived in the northern hemisphere, and now are native to Europe, Asia, North America and South America. Humans introduced deer to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Antlers

Almost all adult deer have antlers, except one, the water deer, which has tusks. Only male deer have antlers, except for Reindeer (Caribou) The antlers are deciduous, and drop off after the mating season. Their main use is for males to fight for groups of females during the rutting season.

Behaviour

Deer do not make nests or dens. They find a safe and comfortable place to rest under low hanging evergreen branches. They stay close to where they can find food. In summer, they eat grasses, plants and weeds. In the fall, they like mushrooms and small branches. They do not store their food for the winter. If the snow is not deep, they use their hooves to uncover moss and leaves. If the snow is deep, they eat twigs and branches.

The doe usually has one or two fawns in the spring. The fawn is precocial, and can stand immediately after birth, but is weak. The doe will hide each fawn in a different place. They are camouflaged by spots on their backs.

Deer have many predators. Wolves, cougar, dogs and people will eat deer. They are always looking, listening and smelling for danger.

Evolution

Deer are a monophyletic group. They originated in the northern hemisphere and arrived in some Gondwana continents much later. Red deer are found in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, and some deer arrived in South America via the Great American Interchange.

Below North Africa there are no deer. Their place in the ecosystems are taken by antelopes, which occupy a niche similar to the deer. Antelopes are not a monophyletic group. The antelope type has evolved from several bovid groups, and is an example of convergent evolution.

Taxonomy

A moose, the largest deer

A baby roe deer, hiding

A white-tailed deer mother and her fawn

Female fallow deer

fallow buck in the Czech Republic

The deer family has about 62 species.

• Family Cervidae
  • Subfamily Hydropotinae: Water deer
    • Genus Hydropotes
      • Water deer, Hydropotes inermis
  • Subfamily Muntiacinae: Muntjacs
    • Genus Muntiacus: Muntjacs
    • Genus Elaphodus
      • Tufted deer, Elaphodus cephalophus
  • Subfamily Capreolinae: New World deer
    • Genus Capreolus
      • Roe deer, Capreolus capreolus
      • Siberian roe deer, Capreolus pygargus
    • Genus Odocoileus
      • White-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus
      • Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus
    • Genus Ozotoceros
      • Pampas deer, Ozotoceros bezoarticus
    • Genus Blastocerus
      • Marsh deer, Blastocerus dichotomus
    • Genus Mazama: Brocket deer
    • Genus Pudu: Pudú
    • Genus Rangifer
      • Reindeer, Rangifer tarandus
    • Genus Hippocamelus: Andean deer
    • Genus Alces
      • Moose, Alces alces
  • Subfamily Cervinae: True deer, Old World deer
    • Genus Axis
      • Chital, Axis axis
      • Hog deer, Axis porcinus
      • Bawean deer, Axis kuhlii
      • Calamian deer, Axis calamianensis
    • Genus Elaphurus
      • Père David's deer, Elaphurus davidianus
    • Genus Cervus
      • Red deer, Cervus elaphus
      • Wapiti (Elk) Cervus canadensis
      • White-lipped deer, Cervus albirostris
      • Sika deer, Cervus nippon
      • Barasingha, Cervus duvaucelii
      • Schomburgk's deer, Cervus schomburgki †
      • Thamin, Cervus eldii
      • Sambar deer, Cervus unicolor
      • Rusa deer, Cervus timorensis
      • Philippine deer, Cervus mariannus
      • Philippine Spotted deer, Cervus alfredi
    • Genus Dama
      • Fallow deer, Dama dama