Red Deer

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Red Deer
Conservation status
Least concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Mammalia   Order: Artiodactyla   Suborder: Ruminantia   Family: Cervidae   Subfamily: Cervinae   Genus: Cervus   Species: C. elaphus
Binomial name
Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest species of deer in the world. The species discussed here is the European Red Deer that inhabits most of Europe and the Caucasus Mountains region and Asia Minor west of the Caspian Sea. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Algeria and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to inhabit Africa. Red Deer have been introduced to other areas including New Zealand and Argentina. In many parts of the world the meat from Red Deer is widely used as a food source.

Red Deer are ruminants which are characterized by an even number of toes, and a four-chambered stomach. Recent DNA evidence indicates that the European Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Central Asian Red Deer (Cervus affinis), and East Asian/North American Red Deer (Elk or Wapiti) (Cervus canadensis) are three distinct species. The ancestor of all Red Deer probably originated in Central Asia and probably resembled Sika Deer.^[1]

Although at one time Red Deer were rare in some areas, they were never close to extinction. Reintroduction and conservation efforts, especially in the United Kingdom, have resulted in an increase of Red Deer populations, while other areas, such as North Africa, have continued to show a population decline.

Contents  Appearance 2 Behavior 3 Breeding, gestation and lifespan 4 DNA studies on Subgenus Cervus (Red Deer, Asian Red Deer, and Wapiti subspecies) 5 Protection from predators 6 Distribution and habitat 7 Migration 8 Red Deer in folklore 9 Red Deer products 10 Trivia 11 See also 12 External links 13 References cited

ppearance

The Red Deer is a large ungulate (hoofed animal). Only two species of deer are larger: Alces alces (the moose or, in Europe, elk) and Elk or Wapiti (Cervus canadensis) of North America and East Asia.

It is a ruminant, eating its food in two stages and having an even number of toes on each hoof, similar to camels, goats and cattle. European Red Deer have a longer relative tail length compared to their Asian and North American relatives, with the Spanish Red Deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) having the longest tail. There are subtle differences in appearance between the various subspecies of Red Deer primarily in size and antlers with the smallest being the Corsican Red Deer found on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia and the largest being the East European red deer (or maral) of Asia Minor and the Caucasus Region to the west of the Caspian Sea. The deer of Central and Western Europe vary greatly in size with some of the largest deer found in the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe.^[1] West European Red Deer historically, grew to large size given ample food supply (including peoples' crops), and descendants of introduced populations living in New Zealand and Argentina have grown quite large in size and antlers. East European Red Deer stags and West European Red Deer stags of the Carpathian Mountains may rival the Wapiti in size. Note that the large size is applied to male deer only. Female Red Deer are much smaller.

Generally, the average male (stag) Red Deer of Europe is 1.2 meters (4 ft) tall and weighs 295 kilograms (650 lbs). European Red Deer tend to be reddish-brown in their summer coats and there is a great size difference between the males and females as discussed. The males of many subspecies also grow a short neck mane ("mane" of hair around their necks) during the autumn. The male deer of the British Isles and Norway tend to have the longest and most noticeable neck manes. Male East European Red Deer (Cervus elaphus maral) and Spanish Red Deer (Cevus elaphus hispanicus) do not carry neck manes. Male deer of all subspecies, however, tend to have stronger and thicker neck muscles than female deer, which may give them an appearance of having neck manes. Female Red Deer hinds do not have neck manes. The European Red Deer is adapted to a woodland environment.^[2] All Red Deer subspecies are between 2.1 and 2.4 meters (7 to 8 ft) in length from nose to tail.

Only the stags have antlers which start growing in the spring and are shed each year, usually at the end of winter. Antlers are made of bone which can grow at a rate of 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) a day and a soft covering known as velvet helps to protect newly forming antlers in the spring. European red deer antlers are more distinctive in being rather straight and rugose beams with the fourth and fifth tines forming a "crown" or "cup" in larger males. Any tines in excess of the fourth and fifth tine will grow radially from the "cup". "Cups" are generally absent in the antlers of smaller red deer such as Corsican Red Deer. West European Red Deer antlers feature bez (second) tines that are either absent or smaller than the brow tine. However, bez tines occur frequently in Norwegian Red Deer. Antlers of East European red deer carry large bez (second) tines and form less-developed "cups" than West European red deer. A Red Deer stag can (exceptionally) have smooth antlers, and is then known as a switch. Similarly, a Red Deer stag that doesn't grow antlers is a hummel. The antlers are testosterone driven and as their testosterone levels drop in the autumn, the velvet is shed and the antlers stop growing.^[3]

During the autumn, all Red Deer subspecies grow a thicker coat of hair which helps to insulate them during the winter. Autumn is also when some of the male deer will grow their neck manes.^[1] It is in the autumn/winter coat that distinguisheds most subspecies. The East European Red Deer's winter coat is grayer and has a larger and more distinguished light rump-patch (similar to Wapitis and some Central Asian Red Deer) compared to the West European Red Deer which is more of a grayish-brown coat with a darker yellowish rump patch in the winter. By the time summer begins, the heavy winter coat has been shed, and Red Deer are known to rub against trees and other objects to help remove hair from their bodies. Red Deer have different coloration based on the seasons and types of habitats, with grey or lighter coloration prevalent in the winter and a more reddish and darker coat in the summer.^[4] Most European Red Deer wear a reddish-brown summer coat, and some individuals may have a few spots on the backs of their summer coats.

Behavior

Mature Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. During the mating ritual, called the rut, mature stags compete for the attentions of the hinds and will then try to defend hinds that they attract. Rival stags challenge opponents by bellowing and walking in parallel. This allows combatants to assess each other's antlers, body size and fighting prowess. If neither stag backs down a clash of antlers can occur, and stags sometimes sustain serious injuries.^[5]

Dominant stags follow groups of hinds during the rut, from August into early winter. The stags may have as many as 20 hinds to keep from other less attractive males.^[6] Only mature stags hold harems (groups of hinds) and breeding success peaks at about 8 years of age. Stags 2-4 years old rarely hold harems and spend most of the rut on the periphery of larger harems, as do stags over 11 years old. Young and old stags that do acquire a harem hold it later in the breeding season than those stags in their prime. Harem holding stags rarely feed and lose up to 20% of their body weight. Stags that enter the rut in poor condition are less likely to make it through to the peak conception period.^[5]

Male European Red Deer have a distinctive "roar" during the rut, which is an adaptation to forested environments as oppose to Male Wapiti (or American Elk) which "bugle" during the rut, which is an adaptation to open environments. The male deer "roars" to keep his harem of females together. The females are initially attracted to those males that both roar most often and have the loudest roar call. Males also use the roar call when competing with other males for females during the rut, and along with other forms of posturing and antler fights, is a method used by the males to establish dominance.^[2] Roaring is most common during the early dawn and late evening.

Breeding, gestation and lifespan

Red Deer mating patterns usually involve a dozen of more mating attempts before the first successful one. There may be several more matings before the stag will seek out another mate in his harem. Females in their second autumn can produce one and very rarely two offspring per year. The gestation period is 240 and 262 days and the offspring weigh between 15 and 16 kilograms (33 to 35 lbs). After two weeks, calves are able to join the herd and are fully weaned after two months.^[7] Female offspring outnumber male offspring more than two to one and all Red Deer calves are born spotted, as is common with many deer species, and lose their spots by the end of summer. However, as in many species of Old World Deer, some adults do retain a few spots on the backs of their summer coats.^[1] The offspring will remain with their mothers for almost one full year, leaving around the time that the next season offspring are produced.^[2] The gestation period is the same for all subspecies.

Red Deer live up to over 20 years in captivity and average 10 to 13 years in the wild, though some subspecies that have less predation pressure average 15 years