The Deer of David is almost critically endangered, currently only surviving in captivity. The animal is named after zoologist Armand David, who oversaw the last remaining Chinese herd and led the public to take an active stance to conserve this population, whose other name is Milu.
What does the name "Xi Pu Xiang" mean
The Chinese call this mammal "Si-pu-hsiang", which means "not one of four". This odd name refers to the way David's deer looks. The appearance of deer resembles a mixture of four animals: hooves like a cow, but not a cow, a neck like a camel, but not a camel, antlers, but not a deer, a donkey's tail, but not a donkey.
The animal's head is thin and elongated with small, pointed ears and large eyes. Unique among deer, this species has antlers with the main ramification of the anterior segment extending backwards. In summer, its color becomes reddish, in winter - gray, there is a small scruff, and along the back there is an oblong dark stripe. If the horned representatives are spotted with pale patches, then we have a young deer of David (photo below). They look very touching.
DescriptionDeer David
Body length - 180-190 cm, shoulder height - 120 cm, tail length - 50 cm, weight - 135 kg.
Kingdom - animals, phylum - chordates, class - mammals, order - artiodactyls, suborder - ruminants, family - deer, genus - deer of David.
This species has closely related relatives:
- southern red muntjak (Muntiacus muntjak);
- Peruvian deer (Andean deer antisensis);
- southern Pudu.
Reproduction
Since David's deer is practically not found in the wild, observations of its behavior are made in captivity. This species is social and lives in large herds except before and after the breeding season. At this time, the males leave the herd to fatten and intensively build up strength. Male deer fight with rivals for a group of females with the help of antlers, teeth and front legs. Females are also not averse to compete for the attention of the male, they bite each other. Successful stags win dominance and how the fittest males mate with females.
During mating, males practically do not eat, as all attention goes to controlling dominance over females. It is only after the females have been fertilized that the dominant males begin to feed again and quickly regain weight. The breeding season lasts 160 days, usually in June and July. After a gestation period of 288 days, females give birth to one or two fawns. Fawns at birth weigh about 11 kg,stop feeding on mother's milk at 10-11 months. Females reach sexual maturity after two years, while males within the first year. Adults live up to 18 years.
Behaviors
Males are very fond of “decorating” their horns with vegetation, tangling them in bushes and winding greenery. For the winter in December or January, the antlers are shed. Unlike other species, David's deer often make roaring noises.
He eats grass, reeds, bush leaves and algae.
Since it is not possible to observe this population in the wild, it is not known who the enemy of these animals is. Presumably - a leopard, a tiger.
Habitat
This species appeared during the Pleistocene period somewhere in the vicinity of Manchuria. The situation changed during the Holocene period, according to the found remains of an animal (David's deer).
Where does this species live? The original habitat is believed to have been swampy, low-lying grasslands and reed-covered places. Unlike most deer, these deer can swim well and stay in the water for long periods.
Because they lived in open wetlands, deer were easy prey for hunters, and their population rapidly declined in the 19th century. At this time, the Emperor of China moved a large herd to his "Royal Hunting Park" where the deer prospered. This park was surrounded by a wall 70 meters high, it was forbidden to look beyond it even under pain of death. Nevertheless, Armand David, a French missionary, risking his life,discovered the species and was fascinated by these animals. David convinced the emperor to hand over some deer to be sent to Europe.
Soon, in May 1865, there were catastrophic floods in China, they killed a large number of David's deer. After that, about five individuals remained in the park, but as a result of the uprising, the Chinese took the park as a defensive position and ate the last deer. At that time, in Europe, these animals were bred to ninety individuals, but by the time of the Second World War, due to food shortages, the population was again reduced to fifty. Weed survived largely due to the efforts of Bedford and his son Hastings, later 12th Duke of Bedford.
After the war, the population of deer in Europe grew, and in 1986 a small group of 39 deer were reintroduced into the reserve of China. There were concerns that if returned to their habitat, they could face many problems due to their many years in captivity. Because of this, the animals could lose their adaptive behavior. The species may no longer be able to fight parasites, mites and predators on its own.
Deer Sanctuary
The birthplace of these exotic animals is China, where nature reserves were formed for them, where more than 1000 individuals are kept.
Dafeng Nature Reserve became David's home. It is the largest of its kind in the world and is where the largest number of Milu residents live.
Dafeng National Nature Reserve covers an area of 78,000 hectares and was established in 1986year on the east coast of Jiangsu Province.
