Western Roe deer, European Roe deer, Roe
The Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a small species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. In the English language, this deer was originally simply called a 'roe', but over time the word 'roe' has become a qualifier, and it is now usually called 'roe deer'.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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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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GumivorousA gummivore is an omnivorous animal whose diet consists primarily of the gums and saps of trees (about 90%) and bugs for protein. Notable gummivore...
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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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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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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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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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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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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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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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SolitarySo
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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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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withIn winter the color of Roe deer ranges from dark brown to grayish-brown. It has a large white caudal patch. In summer, their color is reddish to red-brown. Male deer develop thick skin on their heads, necks, and the anterior part of the trunk. The tops of their heads are brown or gray with the metatarsal glands being brown or dark brown. These deer molt in spring and again in autumn. Their young, called kids, are spotted. They have antlers that are shed each year during October and November, re-growing immediately afterward. The males are slightly bigger than the females, with tuberculate, three-tined antlers, and well-defined basal rosettes. Their hooves are short and narrow with well-developed lateral digits.
The Roe deer lives throughout Asia Minor and Europe (but not in the islands of Sardinia and Corsica) Lebanon, Israel, Ireland, and in the eastern edge of Eastern Europe. They favor forest-steppe, dense woodland, especially among conifers, or bramble scrub when they must rest as well as small insular forests within croplands, and high-grass meadows that have some shrubs. They like cutovers and burns in forestlands and croplands for the purpose of revegetation.
Roe deer are solitary or they live in family groups of a female and her offspring, during the summer months. In the winter, almost all of them live in family groups, being the basis for social organization. In the summer, the deer are spread throughout the territory, while in winter they focus on the foraging areas. Roe deer are territorial, and while the territories of a male and a female might overlap, other roe deer of the same sex are excluded unless they are the doe's offspring of that year. During the day, Roe deer remain within refuge habitats (such as forests) resting in "beds" scraped leaf litter off the ground. They usually come out into more open habitats at night and during crepuscular periods when there is less ambient activity. When alarmed Roe deer will bark a sound much like a dog and flash out their white rump patch. Rump patches differ between the sexes, with the white rump patches heart-shaped on females and kidney-shaped on males. Males may also bark or make a low grunting noise. The females make a high-pitched "pheep" whine to attract males during the rut (breeding season) in July and August.
Roe deer are herbivores (graminivores, folivores). They mainly eat grass, leaves, young shoots, and berries, a favorite being very young, tender grass that has recently been rained on and has a high moisture content. They will not usually enter a field with livestock such as cattle or sheep in it because these animals make the grass very dirty.
Roe deer are polygynous, one male mating with multiple females. When males chase the females during courtship, they tend to flatten the underbrush, creating a figure of eight shape called a “roe ring”. Males may use their antlers to push fallen foliage and dirt around during courtship. July and August is the breeding season. Gestation lasts for 10 months and usually, 2 spotted kids are born, of the opposite gender. The kids stay hidden in the long grass until they are ready to join the herd. For about three months they are suckled several times a day. Roe deer adults often abandon their kids if they smell or sense that an animal, including a human, has been nearby. Females can start to reproduce at around 16 months old.
As many as 90 percent of Roe deer die before they reach one year old, falling prey to foxes and lynx in mainland Europe. Respiratory infections and starvation are also responsible for many deaths. The small population remaining in Syria is severely threatened by habitat reduction and persecution by humans.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Roe deer total population size. According to the IUCN Red List, the central European population of this species is around 15 million individuals. Currently, Roe deer are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today are increasing.
The Roe deer has importance as a game animal. They are popular for scientific study due to this fact, as well as their widespread and abundant distribution.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...