There
are six species of wild deer in this country: Roe Deer, Red Deer, Fallow
Deer, Sika Deer, Muntjac Deer & Chinese Water Deer. Only the red deer
and roe deer are truly native to this country. |
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| Life span: Up to 10-12 years. Statistics: Body length: 95-135cm, Height (at shoulder): 63-67cm, Weight: 18-29kg. Distribution: Roe deer are found throughout Europe, but they are absent from Ireland, much of Portugal, Greece, and large parts of England and Wales. They also inhabit Asia. They live in woodland, preferably with open patches of ground, and with access to the edges of fields. Diet: Roe deer feed on brambles, roses, herbs, grasses, and the leaves of young broad-leaved trees and bushes - but they are very particular - choosing only the most nutritious items. Behaviour: Both male and female roe deer are solitary and are highly territorial, with clearly defined boundaries. They scent mark, and these scents give information about the sex, age, and dominance of the individual. Roe deer have a very good sense of smell and hearing, and their vision is acutely aware of moving objects. When alarmed, roe deer bark. Reproduction: Roe deer have a gestation period of up to about 294 days, including a period of delayed implantation (where the fertilised egg does not attach itself to the wall of the uterus) of up to 150 days. They mate in July/August, the fawn is born in the spring, and is brown in colour with rows of white spots on its back and flanks. The fawns are weaned after 6-10 weeks. |
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These small deer have a white to buff patch on their rump, a black nose and 'moustache', and a white chin. Their coat varies from sandy to reddish-brown in the summer, to grey/ brown or even black in winter. They moult in the spring, giving the coat a moth-eaten appearance. The antlers, which have no more than three points and are less than 25cm in length, grow in winter, and are shed in the autumn. Roe deer became extinct in most of England during the 18th century, but they were reintroduced in the 19th century. Before 1960 they were treated as vermin due to the damage they cause to the forestry industry. Roe deer are not an endangered species, despite the fact that up to 90 per cent die during their first year. This is due to heavy predation on fawns by foxes, and by lynx in mainland Europe. Starvation and respiratory infections also take their toll. |
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