A true deer (Cervus elephas) widespread in the temperate N hemisphere (introduced in Australia and New Zealand); also known as the Bactrian deer, Yarkand deer, maral, shou, hangul, or (in North America) wapiti or elk; sometimes farmed; pale brown in summer, darker in winter. Each antler usually has five tines (the Swedish form); if each has six, the stag is a Royal; if each has seven, it is a Wilson.
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Least concern (LR/lc) |
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Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 |
Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest species of deer in the world, after Alces alces (the moose or, in Europe, elk) and Cervus canadensis (the North American elk or wapiti). The species discussed here is the European Red Deer that inhabits most of Europe and Asia Minor as well as the Atlas Mountains region of northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to inhabit Africa.
Red Deer are ruminants which are characterized by an even number of toes, and a four-chambered stomach. Recent DNA evidence indicates that the European Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Central Asian Red Deer (Cervus Affinis), and East Asian Red Deer/Wapiti or American Elk (Cervus canadensis) are three different species. The ancestor of all Red Deer probably originated in Central Asia and probably resembled Sika Deer.
Although at one time Red Deer were rare in some areas, they were never close to extinction.
Appearance
The Red Deer is a large ungulate (hoofed animal) and is a ruminant, eating their food in two stages and having an even number of toes on each hoof, similar to camels, goats and cattle. There are subtle differences in appearance between the various subspecies of Red Deer primarily in size and antlers with the smallest being the Corsican red deer found on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia and the largest being the East European Red Deer (or maral) of Asia Minor and the Caucasus Region to the west of the Caspian Sea. The deer of Central and Western Europe vary greatly in size with some of the largest deer found in the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe. West European Red Deer historically, grew to large size given ample food supply (including peoples' crops), and descendants of introduced populations living in New Zealand and Argentina have grown quite large in size and antlers.
Generally, the average male (stag) Red Deer of Europe is 1.2 meters (4 ft) tall and weighs 295 kilograms (650 lbs). European Red Deer tend to reddish in color and there is a great size difference between the males and females as discussed. European red deer antlers are more distinctive in being rather straight and rugose beams with the fourth and fifth tines forming a "crown" or "cup" in larger males. "Cups" are generally absent in the antlers of smaller red deer such as Corsican Red Deer. West European Red Deer antlers feature bez (second) tines that are either absent or smaller than the brow tine. Antlers of East European red deer carry large bez (second) tines and form less-developed "cups" than West European red deer.
During the fall, all Red Deer subspecies grow a thicker coat of hair which helps to insulate them during the winter. Red Deer and Elk also have different coloration based on the seasons and types of habitats, with grey or lighter coloration prevalent in the winter and a more reddish and darker coat in the summer.
Behavior
Adult Red Deer usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year.
Male European Red Deer have a distinctive "roar" during the rut, which is an adaptation to forested environments as oppose to Male Wapiti (or American Elk) which "bugle" during the rut, which is an adaptation to open environments.
Breeding, gestation and lifespan
Red Deer mating patterns usually involve a dozen of more mating attempts before the first successful one. Female offspring outnumber male offspring more than two to one and all Red Deer calves are born spotted, as is common with many deer species, and lose their spots by the end of summer.
Red Deer live up to over 20 years in captivity and average 10 to 13 years in the wild, though some subspecies that have less predation pressure average 15 years.
DNA studies on Red Deer subspecies
Biologists have until recently stated that Red Deer and Wapiti (or Elk) are the same species forming a continuous distribution throughout temperate Eurasia and North America, based on fertile hybrids that have been produced under captive conditions. Recent DNA studies conducted on hundreds samples from Red Deer and Elk subspecies determined that there are three distinct species of Red Deer and divides them into an Western (European), Central (Himalayan/Tibetan), and Eastern (East Asia, North America) species grouping. The western species is the European Red Deer and includes the deer that are found in Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa. The central species is the Central Asian Red Deer that inhabits temperate riparian vegetation corridors surrounded by deserts and temperate mountainous environments of the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau of Central Asia. Altogether, the study concluded that not more than 9 distinct subspecies of Red Deer exist and that the eastern, central, and western groups should be considered to be three separate species. Both the Central Asian Red Deer and East Asian Red Deer/Wapiti (or Elk) are more closely related in DNA to the Sika Deer than is the European Red Deer.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has identified two subspecies of European Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) as (potentially) endangered..
| Subspecies | Classification | Status | Historic Range |
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| Barbary Stag | Cervus elaphus barbarus | Lower Risk (Near Threatened) | Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria |
| Corsican Red Deer | Cervus elaphus corsicanus | Endangered (D) | France, Italy |
Protection from predators
Male Red Deer retain their antlers for more than half the year and are more gregarious and less likely to group with other males when they have antlers. The leopard in Asia Minor (now extinct) probably preyed on East European Red Deer.
Distribution and habitat
Cervus genus ancestors of Red Deer first appear in fossil records 12 million years ago during the Pliocene in Eurasia. An extinct species, known as the Irish Elk (Megaloceros) was not related to the red deer but to the fallow deer, was the largest member of the deer family known from the fossil record.
Red Deer is one of the largest game animals found in Asia, North Africa and Europe. A deer known as the "Barbary Stag" and resembles the West European Red Deer, is the only member of the deer family that is represented in Africa, with population centered in the northwestern region of the continent in the Atlas Mountains.
In New Zealand, and to a much lesser degree in Australia, introduced Red Deer have adapted well, and hunting is extensive. Red Deer populations in Africa, southern Europe and central Asia are generally declining. In Argentina, where the Red Deer has had a potential negative impact on native animal species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has labelled the animal as one of the worlds 100 worst invaders.
Migration
Red Deer in Europe generally spend their winters in lower altitudes and more wooded terrain.
Red Deer in folklore
Red Deer are widely depicted in cave art and are found throughout European caves, with some of the artwork dating from as early as 40,000 years ago, during the Upper Paleolithic.
Red Deer products
Red Deer are held in captivity for a variety of reasons.
The red deer can produce 22 to 25 pounds (10 to 11 kg) of antler velvet annually and on ranches in New Zealand, this velvet is collected and sold to markets in east Asia, where it is used for holistic medicines, with South Korea being the primary consumer.
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