Deer are
members of the order Artiodactyle, which means that they have hoofs with an
even number of toes.
Deer can be
found around the world. They are native to all continents except for Australia
and Antarctica. There are about 100 types of deer, including the whitetail
deer, reindeer, elk, moose, mule deer, blacktail deer and caribou.
Male deer
are called bucks, bulls, stags or harts. Female deer are called does, cows or
hinds. Young deer are called fawns or calfs.
Deer can
adapt well to just about any habitat. They prefer to live in "edge"
habitats. Edges are human-made or natural habitat breaks, for instance from
woods to croplands. They will use the woodlands for cover and shelter and the
open land to graze in. In northern latitudes, deer may live in different areas
in the summer and winter months. These areas can be as far as 30 miles apart.
Deer are the
only animals that have antlers. They are the fastest growing living tissue on
earth. Antlers are usually only found on males. In some species, like caribou,
you will also find them on females. Moose have the largest antlers. Antlers
grow from spring until fall. While growing, antlers are covered with a soft
tissue known as velvet. This tissue contains a network of nerves and blood
vessels and is very sensitive. In the fall, the velvet is shed and the antlers
harden. In the winter, the antlers are shed. Antlers should not be confused
with horns. Horns are never shed and continue to grow throughout the animal's
life. If they are broken, they won't grow back.
Deer have a
great sense of hearing. They have a lot of muscles attached to their ears which
allow them to turn their ears in any direction, without moving their heads.
They can hear higher frequencies of sound than humans.
The brown
coat of the deer provides great camouflage in the woodlands. By standing still,
they can go undetected by a passing predator. Fawns have a reddish-brown color
covered with white spots, which help camouflage them and disappear when they
are 3-4 months old. In the fall, deer will shed their summer coat and receive a
much thicker winter coat.
Deer have
their eyes on the sides of their head, giving them a 310 degree view. This wide
view does make it hard for deer to focus on a single point. Deer have a good
night vision, which is useful in the early morning and near dusk.
Deer have
small teeth in the front of the bottom jaw, which they use for tearing and
breaking apart food. They have no teeth in the front of the top jaw. Instead
they have a hard palate, which is used in much the same way as teeth. In the
back of the mouth deer have molars, canines and incisors, which are used for
chewing.
Deer are
ungulates, which means that they have two-toed hoofs. They have long legs with
powerful muscles and are able to run 40 miles per hour and jump 10 feet high.
They are also fast swimmers.
Deer have an
excellent sense of smell, which allows them to detect predators from a long
distance away. Deer lick their nose to keep it moist, which helps odor
particles stick to it, improving their sense of smell. The nose also plays a
role in communication. Deer produce scents with glands located on their head,
legs and hooves. These scents provide information to other deer about their
gender, social status, physical condition and whether an area is safe.
Deer usually
stay in the same area called a home range. These areas are shared by related
females who form matriarchies and that exclude adult males.
The breeding
season for deer occurs between October and January. This period is called the
"rut". During the "rut" the necks of the male deer will
swell to more than double their normal diameter and their antlers will have
lost their velvet. This will prepare them for fights with other buck to
determine dominance and breeding rights. They will crash antlers, but usually
don't get hurt. During this period, males are very nervous and constantly
active, which can cause them to wander into places where you would normally not
find them, like residential areas. Gestation is about 200 days and in the
spring the female will give birth to one to three fawns.
Fawns are
protected by a lack of scent. Enemies cannot smell them. Fawns are able to
stand and walk shortly after birth. The mother keeps them hidden in bushes and
checks up on them about 6 times a day to feed them. Young deer stay with their
mothers for 1-2 years.
When deer
feel threatened, they will raise their tail to warn other deer. Bucks mark
their territory by making scrapes on the land with their hooves and by removing
bark from trees with their antlers, called a "buck rub".
Deer are
herbivores. They eat grass, leaves, stems, shoots, berries, herbs, acorns,
mushrooms, wild fruit and agriculture crops like corn and soy beans.
Deer are
ruminants (cud chewers) and have a four-chambered stomach. Other ruminants
include cattle, goats and antelope. Deer start eating in the morning. They
hardly chew their food which goes into the first stomach. While they rest, the
food will move to the second stomach and form little balls. Now the food is
brought back to the mouth and chewed. This chewed food goes into the third and
fourth stomachs.
In the
winter months, when less food is available, deer will become less active. By
slowing down, they can get by eating only about one third of the food they
normally eat. They will also hang out in the woods more to escape the cold
winds.
Deer are
born with four baby teeth and develop baby incisors and premolars in their
first months. Their adult teeth come in and replace the baby teeth when they
are about 18 months old. You can guess the age of deer by looking at the type
of teeth they have and by how worn these teeth are. Each year, molars loose
about one millimeter of height.
The life
expectancy of deer is 20 years.
