Deer - description, habitat, lifestyle

Deer is a noble, beautiful and majestic swift animal. But in the minds of many, this beast is associated with jokes and jokes that walk in everyday life - a man who has been cheated on by his wife is compared with a deer. Although in some (for example, Indian) tribes this beast is sacred. The Indians believe that a hunter who meets a deer in the forest often will always be lucky in everything.

Description

Deer - artiodactyl mammals, deer family (deer). In total there are 51 species. Previously, the ancestors of the Slavs called this beast in a different way - "spruce", which is why the name now used is used.

The sizes of animals are different, they depend on the species. Suppose a reindeer can reach one and a half meters, although the minimum growth is only 80 centimeters, the body stretches up to two meters, and the mass reaches two hundred kilograms. A small crested one is fully consistent with the name - the length of this deer does not exceed a meter, and the mass is only 50 kilograms.

The color of the deer eyes is yellow with brown, from them there are deep tear grooves. Some deer have very thin and graceful legs, while others are content with short ones. But in all species, they are strong with well-developed leg muscles. After all, legs help deer survive. So, they run away from danger pretty quickly - the speed can reach more than 50 kilometers per hour. The vast majority of species wear wool - it is thin when the yard is warm during the year, and thick in the winter. Color varies from the place where the beast lives - it can be dark brown, golden red or gray.

An expert in the teeth of an animal, without much effort and using only knowledge, can easily determine how old the beast is by looking at how much the fangs are worn and stitched.

Horns

By far, the most visible part of a deer adorning the animal’s head is the horns. They flaunt on the head of all (except hornless) animal species, and they grow exclusively in males. Only one species of the head of females adorn horns, and this species is called the reindeer. But these lady’s horns are very small and not as branched as males.

Interestingly, in almost all species, horns completely change at least once a year. Old ones are dumped, and a shift begins to sprout instead. What are deer horns? These are ordinary cartilage, around which bone tissue gradually grows. And the growth of these cartilages is very much dependent on the diet of the animal. The better and more he eats, the sooner the horns grow.

In animals living in the tropical and subtropical zones, horns are shed very rarely or not shed at all. With this tool, the beast is able to defend and attack. And he doesn’t attack enemies, just at the time when the mating games are going on, you have to fight with relatives because of the female you like. But for animals living in the north, the horns serve as a tool with which they dig snow, trying to get food from under the snow floor in the form of a favorite lichen called reindeer moss. Horns reach rather large sizes - the scope can be up to 120 centimeters.

Deer live all over the world - this is due to their unpretentiousness to those conditions where they have to live. They are in the European and Asian territories, tearing snow in the northern regions of Russia, they live well in both American continents, in hot Africa. Their populations are even in distant Australian and New Zealand lands.In any area, these animals are very good - both among the plains, and if there are mountain ranges and gorges around, and next to the marshy swamps, and in the north in the tundra among mosses and moss, they feel comfortable. Many species of deer prefer places with excessive humidity, choosing sites near ponds.

Food

The deer diet consists entirely of plant foods sprouting in the habitat. In the spring and early summer, he eats cereal plants, legumes, and umbrellas. In summer, nuts, all kinds of berries, mushrooms, and plant seeds are added to this. While it is warm, it feasts on buds, foliage, gnaws on shoots and branches of trees and small bushes growing nearby. He eats fruit with pleasure. In the winter, it gnaws off completely the bark from the trees, eats needles, chews branches, looks for fallen acorns under the snow and lichens. In order to replenish the body with mineral salts, animals visit the salt licks, eat the earth. The lack of protein is made up by eating bird eggs or gnawing their horns that have fallen from the head.

Lifestyle

Deer belong to nomadic animals, holding small herds of 10-30 goals. In the summertime, the animals go deeper as deep as possible into the forest, where a lot of trees, coupled with a lot of grass, make it possible to feed without difficulty. With the onset of winter, they go to dense forest thickets, since there is little snow cover and a little food can be found under it.

How long does a deer live?

In natural conditions, a deer lives 18-22 years. If the beast is in a zoo or in a special deer breeding farm, the life span is extended by a good ten years.

Enemies

In nature, bears and wolves are the most dangerous. The deer is saved from them only thanks to strong legs. However, flight does not always help - wolves that have strayed in a flock can drive the beast. Especially if he is already old or sick. Oddly enough, one of the enemies is a man who can kill this beautiful beast for the sake of chic horns.

What is the difference between deer and elk

Elks are quite close relatives of deer, have some similarities, but differ from each other in the following:

1. The main difference is the shape of the horns. Moose grow horizontally relative to the ground and branch out with small shoulder blades. Reindeer horns are constantly directed to the sky.
2. Elk is a very large beast, more massive than a deer. The moose weighs 650 kilograms, and the record holder among deer weighs only 350 kilograms.
3. You can distinguish by legs - the deer has legs shorter and thicker.
4. And finally, moose - do not want to be in the herd at all. They lead a life alone or live in pairs - the male with his female.

What is the difference between deer and roe deer

1. The deer is famous for its horns, which branch strongly, the roe deer does not.
2. The diet of these animals is the same, but the roe can do without tree bark. A deer gnaws at her with pleasure.
3. Children are fed differently: roe deer are feeding, the deer is standing.

Breeding

Deers lead a herd of harem lifestyles, although there are single individuals who are engaged in pair searches only during rutting. Polygamous animals, at the head of the herd is a male mating with several females. He stands up to protect his females when competing males begin to encroach on them.

The rut of most deer begins in mid-autumn and lasts until December. A deer roar is heard for many kilometers. Often males, like true knights, fight for their lady - they collide with horns, trying to drop the enemy to the ground. He wins, as in any fight, the strongest, and the weak recedes. Young males, who have not yet got horns, do not participate in these battles, but make attempts to penetrate into someone’s harem.

Males become sexually mature by about three years of age, while females are a little earlier - at 2 years old. A pregnant deer runs from 6 to 9 months (depending on species).When it comes time to give birth, the female tries to retire to a secluded place. As a rule, only one deer is born, although there are cases that twins are obtained. At birth, babies are covered with frequent specks that protect against predators and enemies.

Little deer are able to stand on their feet from the first minutes. His mother feeds him milk for a long time - almost a year, although after a month the cub is able to pinch the grass itself. In the second year, young deer acquire tubercles on the crown - the harbingers of future chic horns.

What are the types

Under natural conditions, many species of deer live. Here are some of them of great interest.

Noble deer
The most beautiful inhabitant of this family is proportionate, physically slim. You can distinguish by a bright spot under the tail, characteristic of this species. On the horns a large number of branches, especially at the tips. In total there are 15 subspecies that differ in size. Let's say a small Bukhara deer has a mass of about one hundred kilograms and 190 centimeters in length; another subspecies, maral, weighs as much as 300 kilograms, while the length is only 160 centimeters.

The habitat of the red deer is great: the countries of Europe, Scandinavia, China, northern Africa, Australia, both American continents.

Reindeer
Another name is caribou. It lives in the north of Eurasia, in the tundra. This type of horns is not only in males, but also in females. They serve to clear the snow and obtain food and reindeer moss. This species is the only one that eats meat, or rather, small rodents lemmings living in the same place. The body has a length of about two meters, weight - within 200 kilograms.

Water deer
His fame is that he does not wear horns. Among the largest family, the smallest one is about one meter long and weighs 9-14 kilograms. Lives in the Chinese and Korean forests. Swims superbly, able to swim over many kilometers.

White Deer
It got its name thanks to a white-painted face and a piece of head. The beast is 2.3 meters long, weighing about 200 kilograms. This species lives in the mountainous regions of Tibet, as well as in China.

White tailed deer
Also called the Virginian deer, the habitat is the North American continent (USA and southern Canada). Reach 1 meter in height and weigh approximately 150 kilograms. A distinctive feature is a white tail.

Pork deer
Such a funny name is because the manner of movement resembles a pig’s gait. It boasts a fluffy beautiful tail. Females differ from males in a lighter color.

They live on the plains of Pakistan, Burma and other South Asian states. Representatives of this type of man brought to Canada, the United States of America and the lands of Australia. They live alone, rarely create herds. They lead night life, in the daytime they rest in the shade of bushes.

Crested deer
Judging by the name, wears a crest growing from the frontal part. Horns are very short and practically do not branch. The habitat is located in the south and southeast of the Asian region.

Deer
A stocky mountain resident, short legs seem to be specially designed for walking on mountainous landscapes. Lives in the Andes in Argentina. Lifestyle - loners, only during the rut they gather in small flocks.

Dappled deer
The body is long, about 180 centimeters, weight from 75 to 130 kilograms. The height of the animal is an average of 110 centimeters. Animals are gregarious, live in small groups of 15-25 individuals. Distributed in the plains and mountains of the former Soviet Union. Lives in the Far Eastern region, the mountains of the Caucasus and areas of the middle zone.

The biggest deer
This mammal can be safely called the largest deer, although it is not officially considered such. It's about a moose. Matured specimens reach an impressive 2 meters and 30 centimeters in height. The largest weight was recorded at 655 kilograms.The body seems a little short - only within three meters. But the legs, equipped with wide hooves, are long. The elk face is very extended, the lips are large. The coat of both sexes is brown. The horns are slightly flattened, which is why the animal is called “sahaty”.

Moose live in many countries of the Northern Hemisphere, the habitat is quite wide - from the tundra to the steppes in the southern regions of Eurasia and North America.

For life, they choose either swampy forests or very dense impassable forest oak forests. But they seek food on the river banks or open edges in the middle of the forest. Elk is not picky in food, eats herbs, picks berries, eats mushrooms, nibbles tree shoots.

Smallest deer
The smallest (in physical parameters) representative of the deer genus is pudu deer. There are two subspecies - northern and southern. The body is very short - only 90 centimeters long, the height does not exceed 40 centimeters, the mass is about ten kilograms, the horns are very short - no more than 10 centimeters. Wearing brown wool. It lives in South American countries, vegetable nutrition - eats foliage from trees and chews branches. Prefers a solitary lifestyle, sometimes living in pairs.

Interesting

The deer does not wear such beautiful, enthralling horns all his life. For the first time, such beauty grows at the age of five, and from the age of 12 the horns become weaker, and the crown is less and less. Usually, animals drop their horns in the spring from March to the end of April, young horns become stiff for three months.

Initially, deer originated on Earth 33 million years ago, this happened where Asia is now located. After 10 million years, the animals began to move, and they mastered present-day Europe, from where they crossed the then existing bridge between the continents to the North American continent. On the South American continent, animals appeared relatively late - only 2 million years ago.

Although the main enemies of the deer from the animal kingdom, the main still to this day is man. Deer hunting was too common, and a large number of animals were destroyed.

Non-ossified deer antlers (antlers) are very popular and valuable, as they have strong healing properties. Extracts from water and alcohol are made from them and medicinal preparations for the treatment of hypertension and nervous diseases are produced. And ossified horns are used for the production of immunostimulants.

When there are periods of nourishment, the deer organism reacts to this in a peculiar way - it slows down the metabolic processes and slows the heartbeat of animals. This makes it possible to save the necessary energy.

The deer male, which is the dominant in the herd, has, as a rule, several females, their number sometimes reaches twenty. Engaged in bypassing the harem and visiting each, the deer is able to do without food for several days.

Video: deer attacks bison