For many nations, the deer is a sacred animal, for example, among the Celts, it was considered a symbol of vitality, the sun and fertility. He was personified with the god Cernunnos. In medieval heraldry, the image of this artiodactyl symbolized moderation and grace. Deer antlers have medicinal properties and are raw materials for the production of various medicines. The name of this beast is of ancient Slavic origin. The article will discuss the numerous varieties of deer, and will also give a brief description of some of its most interesting representatives. Each of the species is well adapted to life in harsh conditions. It is hard to believe, but man is considered his main enemy. Many species are listed in the Red Book, and most of them have been completely exterminated.
General information
In the Deer family, three subfamilies are deer:
- real or old world;
- water;
- New World.
In addition, there are fifty-one species. Each of the varieties of deer is characterized by its own appearance and habits, which help them adapt and survive in different conditions - from deserts to arctic tundras. There are both small animals, the size of a hare, and large individuals, weighing more than three hundred kilograms.
Horns are recognized as their main feature, otherwise they are also called antlers. Male individuals use them in fights during the mating season. Depending on the species, the size and shape is different:
- Caribou (reindeer) - owners of horns, both female and male.
- Water deer - no antlers at all.
They mostly live in herds, although there are loners among them. The duration of the mating season depends on the habitat:
- temperate latitudes - autumn, winter;
- tropical all year round.
The female carries the cub for six to nine months. Mostly one or two fawns are born.
The basis of the diet of artiodactyls is herbaceous plants. During the summer months they prefer:
- chestnuts;
- berries;
- fruit;
- mushrooms;
- shoots and leaves of trees;
- nuts.
In winter, to quench their thirst, they eat snow and also eat:
- acorns;
- lichen;
- branches and bark;
- horsetail.
Do not disdain algae, crabs and fish. With a lack of minerals, they are able to gnaw on damp earth and their own discarded horns.
Old World Deer
The greatest variety is demonstrated by real deer, the varieties of which are estimated at three dozen. Among them are such species as:
- noble;
- white-faced;
- pork;
- spotted;
- David;
- barasinga;
- crested;
- axis;
- Schomburgka;
- muntjaca;
- zambara;
- Kulya;
- doe;
- tameng;
- Calamian.
The red deer is the most famous, one of the most beautiful and stately animals of this family, living in a large area - the Scandinavian, Western European countries, on the two American continents, in China, Algeria, etc. The main condition for the place of residence is the presence of reservoirs with fresh water. They live in herds, in which there are up to ten individuals, and after the mating season, their number increases and reaches thirty. A characteristic feature of the species is a white spot located under the tail, the absence of spotting in the summer. The antlers are distinguished by a large number of branches, which form a kind of crown at the end of each horn. Depending on the varieties of deer, the photo of which is presented in the article, the weight of the animal is different. For example, wapiti and deer have a body weight of over 300, and a Bukhara deer - less than 100 kg. In nutrition, they prefer herbs, legumes and cereals. In the winter months, tree bark, shoots of trees and shrubs, mushrooms, chestnuts, and fallen leaves are eaten. In addition, with a lack of food, they do not disdain to eat acorns, pine andspruce needles, lichens. Visit artificial and natural s alt marshes.
Deer varieties: names
The deer of the New World differ somewhat from their fellows in the structure of the bones of the fingers. List of representatives of these animals:
- mazama;
- marsh;
- black-tailed;
- roe deer;
- pampas;
- pudu;
- moose;
- South Andean;
- white-tailed or virginian;
- Peruvian;
- caribou or northern.
In appearance, the virginian differs from its noble relative in grace and smaller size. It got its interesting name for the original color of the tail, the bottom of which is white and the top is brown. White-tailed deer living on the Florida Keys weigh no more than 35 kg, and their representatives, who prefer the northern regions, weigh 150 kg. Most of the time, individuals lead a solitary lifestyle and gather in herds for the mating season. In search of food, they destroy cereal crops, raiding agricultural fields. In winter, they eat fallen leaves and tree branches, in autumn - nuts and berries, in summer and autumn - flowering plants, juicy grass.
Ears are considered a feature of the black-tailed deer - they are simply huge. Therefore, it is often called big-eared, or donkey.
Caribou, or northern, included in the list of varieties of deer, is considered especially interesting. This is the only species in which antlers are worn by both sexes. In addition, it is distinguished by the upper lip, which is completely covered with hair, as well as a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, thick fur. Animalsquat build, has a slightly elongated skull, does not have grace, like other members of the family. The next feature is gregariousness, gathering in rather large groups, they more easily endure the harsh living conditions in the taiga and tundra.
As a recovering species of caribou is listed in the Russian Red Book.
Reindeer Species
The following varieties of reindeer living in Eurasia are distinguished:
- Okhotsk;
- New Zealand;
- European;
- Siberian tundra;
- inhabiting the Svalbard archipelago;
- Siberian Forest;
- Barguzinsky.
Reindeer are social animals. They graze in huge herds. For many years, reindeer herds migrate along the same route. Moreover, overcoming a distance of five hundred or more kilometers is not difficult for them. They are good swimmers and melt easily through bodies of water.
Scandinavian deer, on the contrary, avoid forests.
Siberian deer prefer to spend their winters in the forests. At the end of May, they move to the tundra, in which there are fewer insects (gadflies, mosquitoes) and more food. They return to the forest area again in August-September.
Caribou deer in April begins to move from the forest to the sea. Returns back in October.
Moss is used as food from plants, which is the basis of nutrition for a long nine months. Throwing snow with their hooves and having a good sense of smell, they easily find mushrooms, berry bushes. They eat snow to quench their thirst. In addition, they are able to eat adult birds, their eggs, small rodents. To maintain the s alt balance, they drink a lot of sea water, gnaw on discarded horns and visit s alt marshes. If there are not enough minerals in the body, then they are able to gnaw each other's horns.
The mating season starts in mid-October and lasts a month and a half. Eight months later, offspring appear. The cub stays with its mother for two years. Reindeer live for about twenty-five years.
They get along well with people. They have a calm disposition and quickly get used to the new conditions of existence.
Moose, or elk is a kind of deer?
Moose and deer are considered close relatives. However, in terms of their lifestyle and appearance, they differ from other representatives of the Olenev family. Due to differences, they were identified as a separate species, which forms several subspecies: East Siberian, Ussuri, Alaskan, etc. The elk has its own characteristics of the external structure:
- massive croup;
- powerful chest;
- long and thin legs;
- big hooves;
- Hook-nosed and large head, with overhanging fleshy upper lip;
- torso and neck are short.
There are pointed hooves on the front legs. This makes it possible to use them as weapons in fights with predators. One blow with them is enough to rip open the stomach of the enemy or break the skull.
Pronged is a type of large deer, i.e. it is recognized as the mostlarge artiodactyls of this family. His body weight is from 360 to 600 kg. In some areas, there are males weighing 650 kg. The females are slightly smaller, but also imposing.
The structure of the horns, the span of which is up to one and a half meters or more, and the weight is over 20 kg, is also of interest. They develop in a horizontal plane, and at the ends there are spade-shaped flat ramifications. Horns appear by the age of one and a half, and by five they are already fully formed. Adults shed them annually. At the same time, in each new season, one additional ledge is formed on the processes.
The elk live in pairs or families with their growing cubs. Under adverse conditions, they are able to stray into herds, but this lasts a short period. They are excellent swimmers and can forage without leaving the shore. They like to feast on algae, moss and branches of coastal shrubs.
Small Views
In the hard-to-reach forests of Ecuador, Chile and Peru, you can find the smallest species of deer - the pudu. He has a short torso, about 90 cm, height no more than 35 cm, and weight does not exceed 10 kg. The animal has a small head located on a short neck and oval-shaped small ears, which are covered with thick and dense hair. External resemblance to other representatives of deer is doubtful. However, he has barely noticeable horns on his head, completely hidden by hairs, and forming a small tuft.
They live alone, and form pairs only during the breeding season. These are rather cautious animals, and in the wildthey are hard to find in nature. The species is under the threat of extinction, as tasty meat has made it a desirable prey for poachers and predators. The coloration of the smallest species of deer is gray-brown with spots of indistinct size. The animal feeds on algae, young shoots, foliage of trees and shrubs, succulent herbs, fruits that have fallen to the ground. To feast on the juicy tops of tall trees, he stands on his hind legs and bends them down.
The mating season lasts about two months. The cub is born seven months later. Often this event falls on the first summer days. The baby is growing rapidly, and after three months it is indistinguishable in size from an adult deer. Full release from the horns is carried out after another seven months. By this time, he is approaching puberty. Life expectancy is not more than ten years. There are two types of the smallest pudu deer - northern and southern. They differ little from each other. However, the first one is slightly larger. They have a short, smooth coat that ranges in color from reddish to dark brown. Rounded body, spiked horns, short legs.
Amazing deer without horns
These animals look like roe deer, they live in swamps, along the banks of water bodies, nestled in dense grassy thickets. What types of deer do not have antlers? The only hornless representative in the family is the water deer. The main distinguishing feature of the species is the fangs, which are mobile and located on the upper jaw. When an artiodactyl eats, he removes them, and in case of any dangerpushes forward.
They live alone, do not like strangers on their territory, so they mark it. They meet with the opposite sex only for the period of the rut. They are excellent swimmers and in search of a new haven they are able to overcome more than one kilometer in water. For food, they prefer to eat juicy river sedge, young green grass, foliage of shrubs. They raid rice fields, causing damage to agriculture.
Marals
What are these animals? Opinions of zoologists are divided: some believe that this is a special kind of deer, which in eastern Siberia is called red deer, in North America - wapiti. And others argue that marals are a kind of red deer. From which it differs in the larger size of the horns, coat color, greater growth and shorter tail. The species has groups: Siberian, or maral, Central Asian and Western. This is a very beautiful animal with its head held high.
A proud posture indicates a rebellious disposition and great strength. Horns with many branches grow up to 108 cm. The weight of males is about 300 kg, females are somewhat smaller. In size, this is the second animal after the elk. They start breeding quite late. Males prefer to form a harem with a maximum of five females, starting at age five, and females are capable of producing offspring by three years.
Altai maral is a kind of red deer, it is best known in our country. It is massively bred to obtain raw materials, which aredeer horns. The drug "Pantokrin" is made from them.
Rare and endangered species
Some species of deer are on the verge of extinction, despite the fact that they adapt quite easily to different conditions of existence:
- Vulnerable - Indian, Filipino, maned sambar, white-faced deer, barasinga.
- Endangered - spotted Filipino, lyre deer.
The rarest breed on the verge of extinction is the white deer. This is a fairly large animal with developed horns. The white color is inherited, thanks to which they become easy prey, as they are very noticeable in the forest. Hiding from predators, they are able to swim several tens of kilometers a day.
A very rare species of deer (you will find a photo in the article), which is a relative of the red deer, is recognized as a milu, or deer of David. Under natural conditions, it cannot be found, since it lives and breeds only in zoos in China. Experts attribute it to the marsh species. Its peculiarity is the change of horns, which occurs twice a year. It is listed in the Red Book of the World.
Rare wildlife includes the Virginian, or white-tailed, deer, a species of American deer that lives from Canada to northern South America. Three subspecies are listed in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
Sika and red deer are species that are currently not of concern.
Reducing the number of endangered and rare species of deer, scientists attribute to the fact that they are endemic animals, that is, living in a limited area. Therefore, any, even insignificant changes in their living conditions, associated with a natural or other factor, endanger their existence.
Conclusion
After reading the article, you met beautiful animals. The most interesting varieties of deer, photos and names of which are in the article, are:
- noble;
- northern;
- water;
- milu;
- white-faced;
- crested - the owner of short and unbranched horns;
- white-tailed;
- pig - this name was given to him for his unusual manner of movement, reminiscent of a pig. He also has a fluffy tail;
- spotted - white spots look very impressive on red coats.
The Deer family is diverse, among them there are small and huge representatives, endowed with an exceptional color, lack of horns, and also with luxurious antlers. These animals live in any climatic zones, they can be found in all corners of the Earth. Under natural conditions, they have many enemies, and their numbers are also affected by snowy winters. A thick layer of snow makes foraging and movement difficult. The exception is the reindeer, which is perfectly adapted to moving in harsh winter conditions. All varieties of deer are unique, worthy of protection and attention.
