Red deert

Red deer

The red deer has several dozen subspecies. On our continent (Europe, Asia), its main subspecies are the European red deer, sika deer, maral, Bukhara deer, etc. These subspecies differ from each other in size, fur color, antler shape, etc. The largest is the maral. Its weight can reach 300 kg, and the height at the withers is up to 1.5 m, the body length is up to 2.5 m. A characteristic feature of the European red deer is the presence of a crown with a large number of processes on the top of the antlers. The wapiti (maral) does not have such a crown, although in general its antlers are more massive.

The habitat of the European deer is mainly the European part of our continent. Maral, red deer, Bukhara deer are common in the Asian part of the continent, Siberia, the Far East, etc. Many hunting farms are engaged in breeding and maintaining the population of red deer.

The main food of red deer is various grasses, cereals, branches of deciduous trees. In winter, they feed on branches of bushes, pine needles, bark, get acorns from under the snow, etc.

Every year, male deer (bulls, stags) change their antlers. As a rule, in mid-winter - late winter, the antlers are shed and by the beginning of summer new ones grow, which by the end of August finally become woody and strong.

In September - October, the mating season begins. The rut and roar of deer occurs, which can be heard for several kilometers. The sounds of the roar depend on the type of deer, age. The sound varies from low hoarse to trumpet. At this time, harems of females form around the males (bulls). Fights occur between the bulls (red stag), in which they sometimes seriously injure each other.

Pregnancy in females lasts about 8.5 months. Fawns are born mainly between May and July. A month later, they can eat grass, but continue to suckle the female's milk.

Below are videos about the life of deer in the autumn.