The Deer

The Deer

Adeer is a mammalian animal that is part of the group of ruminants. It usually has a height of about 1.30 meters and can weigh up to 200 kilograms, although its characteristics vary according to each subspecies.

It is possible to find deer in various parts of the world, including the European continent, the American continent, the Asian continent and the African continent. On the other hand, they also have habitats in certain arctic areas. To Australia and New Zealand, on the other hand, it arrived artificially, carried by the human being.

Although in everyday speech reference is made to many different animals with the same name, the family of deer is very broad. The publication Species of mammals of the world (originally published in English under the title Mammal Species of the World ) ensures that we can distinguish three subfamilies, which are divided into twenty genera and forty-eight species.

As if these numbers were not sufficiently impressive, we must also take into account a few subfamilies and extinct genera, such as the subfamily Capreolinae with its genera Alces , Blastocerus , Capreolus , Hippocamelus and Mazama .

The Cervus elaphus is the animal known as deer or deer . His hair is short and reddish or gray, although lighter on the buttocks and belly. The males, which have a larger size than the females, have antlers that fall off and re-grow each year.

Deer, which are indomesticable, are usually hunted by humans to take advantage of their flesh, their skin and even their antlers. Tigers, leopards, pumas, bears and wolves are other predators of this animal that is herbivore.

As for their social organization, deer establish herds according to their size and age, in addition to dividing between males and females. The males usually move solitary or in small groups , while the females form herds of several dozens of specimens, where the youngest individuals are also found.

While these are the most common organizations of deer groups, they do not occur in all cases; For example, musk deer, which belong to the family of the mosquidos , spend their lives as a couple. The mosquitoes are artiodactyl mammals , an order with limbs that have an even number of fingers, of those that support at least two, the most developed.

In the heat period , the males approach the groups of females and fight with each other to prevail and achieve control. The male deer that emerges victorious, therefore, leads the herd of females while the rutting season lasts and then moves away.

The gestation of the deer extends for a period that can last between 160 days and 10 months, according to the species in particular; per year, they usually give birth to a maximum of two young, which are called gabatos or fawns . With respect to their diet , deer prefer branches, plant shoots and leaves.

Almost all deer have a gland in the vicinity of eyes that have pheromones, that is, chemical substances that can secrete to get other individuals of their species to behave in a certain way. In this specific case, males use their pheromones to express their displeasure when they are close to other males.

It is important not to get confused between deer (written with initial C ) and servant (with S ). When the term begins with S ( servant ), it refers to an individual who is enslaved and in the service of a lord.