The Red deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest deer species. It is closely related and slightly larger American elk or wapiti, native to North America and eastern parts of Asia, had been regarded as a subspecies of red deer, but recently it has been established as a distinct species. The ancestor of all Red deer, including wapiti, probably originated in central Asia and resembled Sika deer.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Altitudinal MigrantAltitudinal migration is a short-distance animal migration from lower altitudes to higher altitudes and back. Altitudinal migrants change their ele...
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Art Of AttractionThe Red deer is the fourth-largest extant deer species, behind the moose, elk, and sambar deer. It is a ruminant, eating its food in two stages and having an even number of toes on each hoof, like camels, goats, and cattle. European Red deer have a relatively long tail compared to their Asian and North American relatives. The males of many subspecies also grow a short neck mane during the autumn. Only the males have antlers, which start growing in the spring and are shed each year, usually at the end of winter. Antlers typically measure 71 cm (28 in) in total length and weigh 1 kg (2.2 lb). While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone. European Red deer tend to be reddish-brown in their summer coats, and some individuals may have a few spots on the backs of their summer coats. During the autumn, all Red deer subspecies grow thicker coats of hair, which helps to insulate them during the winter. Autumn is also when some of the stags grow their neck manes. The autumn/winter coats of most subspecies are the most distinct. The Caspian red deer's winter coat is greyer and has a larger and more distinguished light rump-patch compared to the Western European red deer, which has more of a greyish-brown coat with a darker yellowish rump patch in the winter. By the time summer begins, the heavy winter coat has been shed; the animals are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove hair from their bodies. Red deer have different colouration based on the seasons and types of habitats, with grey or lighter colouration prevalent in the winter and more reddish and darker coat colouration in the summer.
Red deer inhabit most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus Mountains region, Iran, areas of western Asia, as well as central Asia. There are also the only species of deer living in Africa, namely, the Atlas Mountains area in northwestern Africa between Morocco and Tunisia. They have also been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, Uruguay, Peru, Chile, and Argentina, amongst others. Red deer in Europe generally spend their winters at lower altitudes in more wooded terrain. During the summer, they migrate to higher elevations where food supplies are greater and better for the calving season. Red deer prefer open woodlands and they avoid dense unbroken forests. They can be seen in coniferous swamps, aspen-hardwood forests, clear cuts, coniferous-hardwood forests, open mountainous areas, grasslands, meadows, valleys, and pastures.
Red deer are social animals, living in summer herds with up to 400 individuals. Mature deer usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. Males retain their antlers for more than half the year and are less gregarious and less likely to group with other males when they have antlers. The antlers provide self-defense, as does a strong front-leg kicking action performed by both sexes when attacked. Once the antlers are shed, males usually form bachelor groups which allow them to cooperatively work together. Herds have one or more members watching for potential danger, while the remaining members eat and rest. After the rut, females form large herds of up to 50 individuals. The newborn calves are kept close to the females by a series of vocalizations between the two, and larger nurseries have an ongoing and constant chatter during the daytime hours. When approached by predators, the largest and most robust females may make a stand, using their front legs to kick at their attackers. They can also use guttural grunts and posturing. Red deer browse early in the morning and late evening. During the day and late at night they are inactive, spending most of this time chewing their cud.
Red deer are Herbivores (graminivores, folivores). They eat grasses, forbs, and sedges in summer, and, in winter, woody growth (cedar, wintergreen, sumac, eastern hemlock, jack pine, staghorn, red maple, and basswood). Deer particularly like dandelions, aster, hawkweed, clover, violets, and sometimes mushroom.
Red deer are polygynous, meaning that one male mates with multiple females. During the mating season, called the rut, mature males compete for the attention of the females and will then try to defend the hinds they attract. Rival males challenge opponents by belling and walking in parallel. Dominant males follow groups of females during the rut, from August into early winter. They may have as many as 20 females to keep from other, less attractive males. Male European Red deer have a distinctive roar during the rut, which is an adaptation to forested environments. The male roars to keep his harem of females together and when competing with other males for females during the rut. Females can produce one or very rarely two fawns per year. The gestation period is 240 to 262 days, and the fawn weighs about 15 kg (35 lb). After 2 weeks, it can join the herd and is fully weaned after 2 months. The young will remain with their mothers for almost one full year and will leave before the next offspring is born. Female Red deer become reproductively mature maturity at 2 years of age while males usually wait until a few years have passed before they can compete with the more mature males.
The main threats to Red deer include the interbreeding of the various subspecies, overhunting in some areas, and habitat loss due to urban and agricultural development.
The worldwide population number of the Red deer is unknown, but particular populations in Europe have been estimated, with a total of approximately 1.7 million individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are increasing.
Red deer have an important impact on the plant communities where they live, due to their browsing. They also serve as important prey during certain times of the year for some large predators, including wolves and Brown bears.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...