Interesting Facts About Red Deer

red deer

When one thinks of a deer; an image of a meek, petrified, and a naive animal comes to mind. To the contrary, this species of deer, Red Deer, is comparatively stout and strongly built. These creatures are a riot especially when they run in a herd, creating a marvellous miniature stampede. There was a time in Europe when these animals wandered freely, became fruitful and multiplied (as if obeying God’s command). But with time, even after being hunted at rapid rate for their flesh and antlers, their numbers went out of hands and they were declared animal pests. And then, bounties or rewards were set and they began to be hunted on a large scale. However, the picture has changed much from then. Red deers are now herd and hunted, in controlled quantities, for their meat. There even are hunting seasons, dedicated (ironically) especially to these animals. Still, they remain majestic and have a distinct lifecycle with its own unique and surprising peaks and valleys. Read on the following facts to get better acquainted with the lives of these slick beasts.

Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Cervus Elaphus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Suborder: Ruminantia
Family: Cervidae
Subfamily: Cervinae
Genus: Cervus
Species: C. Elaphus
Average Weight: 160 to 240 for males; 120 to 170 kg for females (according to the subspecies, it can go as low and as high as 50 and 500 kg respectively)
Habitat: Temperate forests, open woodlands, and mountainous areas
Diet: Herbivores (mainly grasses, plants, twigs, and mosses)
Average Lifespan: 10 to 13 years in wild; up to 20 years in captivity
Gestation Period: 240 to 262 days
Average Litter Size: 1

Interesting And Fun Facts About Red Deer

    • Red deerhave various sub-species which dwell on the face of the world. They, generally, have no other distinction apart from the size of their antlers and body. Interestingly, a few of these sub species have antlers reaching to one metre in width.
    • The smallest species of red deer known to humans is the Corsican Red Deer, and the largest species is named the Caspian Red Deer.
    • The male red deers are known as stags and females of the species are called hinds.
    • There can even be a drastic difference in size within two members of same species. It all depends on the availability of the food, the quantity consumed by the deer and the quality of the food. Although a hind is always smaller than a stag in all species.
    • There are a few subspecies of red deer in which the stags grow mane of hair around their neck during the autumn season, thus donning a royal look.
    • Stags are known to have stronger neck muscles than hinds. It’s one of the reasons why hinds are never seen locking horns with stags.  Other is: only stags have antlers, which, interestingly, are shed by them every spring.
    • Their antlers are living tissues covered with thick covering of a protective layer called velvet. This velvet has a number of blood vessels which abundantly supply the antlers with necessary calcium and other minerals.
    • Interestingly, when a stag nears ‘rut’ or the mating season, its testosterone levels start building up rapidly in its body. These creatures have a mating season which is limited to three month’s period i.e. September to November.
    • A lot of time is spent by the stags competing over eligible females. These competitions are extremely fierce and at times fatal for the stags. And when a male wins, it takes the female to a conventional rutting area.
    • The harem of the strongest stag can contain up to twenty hinds at a time, but the problem with such a big harem is that the stag has to defend the hinds at all costs, else its reputation suffers. To avoid such an incident, he patrols the harem and this costs him a lot of energy as during the whole exercise, he seldom eats.
    • During the rut, stags develop a distinctive roar, resultant of high testosterone levels. A hind too, chooses its partner, the stag, which has the loudest roar and also roars more often.
    • Bodies of deer grow a thicker coat during autumns which provides extra insulation which then helps in maintaining body temperature during the winter season. This winter coat makes it easier to spot the difference between the subspecies.
    • A stag mates at least four times with a hind before moving to the other from its harem. The hind then, after a gestation period of 240 to 262 days, gives birth to one offspring. The average weight of the newborn is 15kg.
    • On an average, atleast two female calves are born per male calf. The male calves have spots at the time of birth which they lose with time. The stags generally move away from the herd in a year or two whereas the hinds stay with the mother and become a part of the herd.
    • The red deer have always been hunted for flesh, known as venison, and their beautiful antlers, which have great market value.
    • Red deer were used to pull coaches during Roman Era in the festivals related to the worship of goddess Diana, the hunting goddess.
    • Man is the only threat to the red deer; no other predator tries to harm these animals because of their size. At times. however, calves are attacked by a few major carnivores.
    • To save energy, the metabolism rate of these animals slows down when the food is scarce. Also, slowing down of heartbeat aids in maintaining proper body temperature.
    • Nowadays, red deer are being legally farmed and their meat or venison is served in hotels as a gourmet dish. Venison is a lot more nutritious than red meat. Velvet from the antlers is scraped off and collected to be sold in market so that it can be used in making medicines.
    • The antlers of red deer are sold in the market as gothic home decorations too. These antlers once used to be highly sought hunter’s trophy. Now, not so much.
    • These deer are rare in some parts of Europe but are not considered endangered or vulnerable. Balance is maintained by the herders as they try to strike the right balance between the supply and demand of the meat of these animals.