Deer 4 letters. deer species

Deer is an animal of the chordate type, mammal class, artiodactyl order, deer (deer) family ( Cervidae). The article provides a description of the family.

Own modern name the deer received thanks to the Old Slavonic word "deer". So the ancient Slavs called a slender animal with branched horns.

Deer: description and photo. What does the animal look like?

The sizes of the representatives of the family vary greatly. The height of the reindeer ranges from 0.8 to 1.5 meters, the body length is 2 meters, and the weight of the deer is about 200 kg. A small crested deer barely reaches 1 meter in length and weighs no more than 50 kg.

The most slender body is distinguished by the red deer, which has a proportional build, an elongated neck and a light, slightly elongated head. The eyes of a deer are yellow-brown in color, with deep lacrimal grooves located nearby. The broad forehead is slightly concave.

Some types of deer have thin, graceful limbs, others have short legs, but all are united by well-developed leg muscles and the presence of fingers spaced apart and connected by membranes.

Deer teeth are a good indicator his age. According to the degree of grinding of fangs and incisors, curvature and angle of inclination, a specialist can accurately determine the age of a deer.

All species, except for the hornless water deer, are distinguished by branched horns (called antlers), and only males differ in such bone formations.

Reindeer is the only species of deer in which females have antlers on a par with males, but much smaller.

Most deer species found in temperate latitudes, shed their antlers every year. In their place, new ones immediately begin to grow, consisting first of cartilage, then overgrowing bone tissue. Deer antlers grow depending on its diet: the denser the diet, the faster the antlers grow. Deer living in the tropics do not shed their antlers for years, and the inhabitants equatorial belt don't lose them at all.

The main function of deer antlers is protection and attack, and the chances of a particular male individual to win in a duel for a female deer depend on their power. Reindeer use their antlers as tools, digging snow with them to get to reindeer moss. The span of the horns of a mature male deer is 120 cm.

The deer sheds its antlers

And this deer has grown antlers of an atypical shape

Deer skin is covered with fur, thin and short summer, and in winter longer and denser.

The color of deer fur depends on the species and can be brown, coffee-brown, red-brown, brownish, gray, red, plain, with spots and marks.

Deer is an animal that is among the twenty fastest.

The speed of a deer fleeing a chase can reach 50-55 km/h.

Deer live in Europe and Asia, in Russia, feel at ease on the territory of the North and South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In conditions wildlife The average life expectancy of a deer is 15-20 years. Zoos and reindeer farms good care deer live up to 25-30 years.

Deer are animals that are quite unpretentious to the environment. They feel great on the plains, and in areas with mountainous terrain, and in wetlands, and in the zone of tundra mosses and lichens.

Many species inhabit precisely excessively humid places, choosing areas near water bodies for living. Preferring mainly a nomadic lifestyle, deer are found in forests with their forb meadows in summer period, in winter they wander into impenetrable thickets, as there are usually fewer snow drifts and it is easier to find food under a thin layer of snow.

Deer is a herbivore, the diet of which depends on the species and range. In spring and early summer, deer feed on cereals, umbrellas, and legumes. Reindeer food in summer - nuts, chestnuts, mushrooms, berries, plant seeds.

During the warm season, deer eat buds, leaves and young shoots of trees and shrubs: maple, mountain ash, aspen, viburnum. The deer will not refuse pears, apples and other fruits. In winter, deer are forced to eat bark and branches of plants, needles, acorns and lichens.

Animals make up for the lack of minerals in the body with salt extracted from salt licks, and also chew the earth rich in mineral salts, drink water from mineral springs. Replenishing the protein deficiency, deer gnaw their own discarded antlers and are forced to eat bird eggs.

Deer species, names and photos

The modern classification of the deer family includes 3 subfamilies, 19 genera and 51 species. In addition to deer, the representatives of the family are fallow deer, pudu, roe deer, elk, as well as mazams, muntjacs, axis, sambars and barasinga.

The most interesting varieties of deer are considered to be the following:

Noble deer(Cervus elaphus)

It belongs to the genus true deer and includes 15 subspecies. Representatives of the species are united by a characteristic white spot under the tail, which rises above the coccyx. There is no spotting in the color of the red deer in summer. Deer antlers are distinguished by a significant number of branches (especially in the European deer), which form a characteristic crown at the end of each antler. Depending on the subspecies, the size of a deer can be 2.5 meters in length and 1.3-1.6 meters at the withers, with a weight of over 300 kg (maral and wapiti). A small Bukhara deer weighs a little less than 100 kg and grows up to 170-190 cm.

The diet of the animal in the spring-summer period consists of various legumes, grass and cereals. In winter, deer feed on shoots of shrubs and trees, fallen leaves, various mushrooms, chestnuts, and tree bark. With a lack of food, deer can eat spruce or pine needles, lichens and acorns. Great importance for the normal life of these mammals, it has a salt balance, which they maintain on natural or artificial salt marshes.

The red deer lives on a rather vast territory, covering Western European, Scandinavian countries, Algeria, the Moroccan Republic and China, as well as both American continents, Australia and New Zealand. The main condition is the presence of a nearby fresh water body. Red deer live in one specific area in herds of up to 10 individuals, although after the mating season their number can increase to 30.

or caribou(Rangifer tarandus)

It stands out among relatives with an upper lip completely covered with hair and the presence of horns in individuals of both sexes. The body size of an adult male is 1.9-2.1 meters with a weight of 190 kg, the female reindeer(which also has the name vazhenka) grows up to 1.6-1.9 m and has a mass of up to 123 kg. The reindeer is an animal of a squat build, devoid of the grace inherent in deer and having a slightly elongated skull shape.

Reindeer food: grass, which grows in abundance in the tundra, bush leaves, mushrooms, various berries. With a lack of protein nutrition, deer find bird nests and eat bird eggs laid in them and even young chicks. Reindeer also feed on small rodents - lemmings. The main food for deer in the tundra in winter is reindeer moss. The reindeer compensates for the lack of minerals in meager food by eating its own antlers, eating sea water or visiting salt marshes.

Reindeer live in the tundra and taiga in Eurasia, North America and islands in the Arctic Ocean. Numerous herds of reindeer live in the plains and mountainous taiga regions, graze on the endless tundra and swampy expanses, making spring and winter migrations in search of food.

water deer(Hydropotes inermis)

The only hornless deer in the family. The size of the species is 75-100 cm in length, the height of the deer is 45-55 cm, and the body weight is 9-15 kg. An adult male deer is distinguished by saber-shaped curved fangs (teeth), protruding noticeably from under the upper lip. The skin is dyed brown.

The main food of deer is leaves of bushes, young green grass, and also juicy river sedge. Animals cause significant damage to agriculture, making devastating raids on cultivated rice fields and destroying not only weeds, but also cultivated shoots.

AT vivo water deer live in the floodplains of the eastern and central parts of China and Korean peninsula. The hornless deer was introduced to England and France, where it successfully adapted to local climate. These animals lead a solitary lifestyle, finding a mate only for the rut period. In search of food, they swim several kilometers, migrating between numerous islands in river deltas.

or mila(Elaphurus davidianus)

A rare species of deer that completely died in nature at the beginning of the 20th century. Nowadays, they are trying to restore the population in Chinese reserves, where the species originally existed. Representatives of the species acquired their name thanks to Armand David, a French priest and naturalist.

The body length of an adult deer is 150-215 cm, height at the withers can reach 140 cm, and the weight of a deer reaches 150-200 kg. An exceptional feature of this species is that David's deer change their antlers twice a year. These animals have an elongated narrow head, atypical for deer, as well as long curly hair on the body.

The food of the David deer consists of grass, young branches and leaves of shrubs, sugar cane and a variety of algae.

Unfortunately, in natural conditions, the habitat of this species is no longer observed. All known individuals live in the conditions of nature reserves and zoos. David's deer are herding animals. Even before and after the mating season, they prefer to stay in small groups of up to 10 individuals. During the rut for the right to possess a harem of females, males arrange real battles, using not only horns, but also teeth, as well as forelimbs in the battle.

white-faced deer(Przewalskium albirostris)

The animal has a large body up to 230 cm long and an impressive weight of up to 200 kg. The height of the deer at the withers is 1.3 m. This species got its name due to the white color of the neck and front of the head. Distinctive feature species are high wide hooves and large antlers of a white deer.

The white-faced deer feeds on various herbs growing in the spacious alpine meadows. As food, animals are happy to eat numerous types of clover, meadowsweet, large-flowered beetle, angelica and motley fescue. In addition, they often eat foliage from undersized shrubs.

The white-faced deer lives mainly in coniferous forests eastern Tibet and some Chinese provinces. Animals are found in the mountainous regions of the Alps, located at an altitude of more than 3500 meters above sea level. They form communities, the number of which does not exceed 20 individuals. In search of food, deer often migrate to altitudes up to 5000 m.

crested deer(Elaphodus cephalophus)

The animal has a black-brown crest on its head, up to 17 cm long. Adult deer grow to a size of 110-160 cm with a body weight of 17-50 kg. The color of the deer can be dark brown or dark gray. The horns are short and not branched, barely visible from under the crest.

In addition to the characteristic plant food, consisting of leaves of trees and shrubs, grass and various berries, crested deer often eat small carrion, which is the protein component of the diet.

Deer live on the territory of South and East Asia in forests spread at an altitude of more than 4500 m. Very cautious animals lead a solitary and isolated way of life. They meet with representatives of the opposite sex only during the rut. They are most active at dawn or dusk.

White-tailed deer (virgin deer) (Odocoileus virginianus)

The most common member of the family, lives in North America.

It got its name for the interesting color of the tail, the top of which is brown and the bottom is white. The northern part of the population has a height at the withers of up to 1 m, and a body weight of about 150 kg. Representatives of the population living on the Florida Keys grow up to 60 cm at the withers and weigh only 35 kg.

In spring and summer, deer eat green growth of shrubs or trees, succulent grass, and flowering plants. In addition, they raid agricultural fields, where they destroy crops of cereals. In autumn, deer feed on fruits, berries and nuts. In winter, these animals have to be content with fallen leaves and branches.

White-tailed deer live on mountain slopes and in spacious forests, as well as on the vast expanses of the prairies and savannahs of South and North America. Most of the time, Virginian deer lead a solitary lifestyle, gathering in small herds only during the mating season.

pig deer(Axis porcinus)

It got its name for the original manner of movement, reminiscent of the course of a pig. The height of the deer at the withers is 70 cm, the length of the body is 110 cm, the weight of the deer is about 50 kg. The animal has a fluffy tail, males are darker than females.

Deer live in the flat landscapes of Pakistan, India, Thailand and other states of South Asia. The species has also been introduced to Australia and the United States. These animals lead a solitary lifestyle, rarely gathering in small herds.

Reindeer graze mainly at night, preferring to rest during the daytime, hiding in densely overgrown shrubs. The deer's diet does not depend on the seasons and consists of a variety of grasses, as well as branches and leaves of low shrubs.

South Andean deer(Hippocamelus bisulcus)

The animal has a stocky build and short legs, adapted to moving through mountainous landscapes. The size of a deer is 1.4-1.6 m in length, weight reaches 70-80 kg. The height at the withers is 80-90 cm. The deer's coat is brownish or gray-brown in color with white spots on the throat.

Deer live in the mountains of Chile and Argentina, where they live alone, gathering in small groups during the rut. Due to a sharp decline in the population, this species of deer is listed in the International Red Book.

The spring and summer diet of the deer consists of a variety of herbaceous meadow vegetation. In winter and during snowfalls, they find food in wooded valleys. Here, the deer's food consists of leaves and young branches of shrubs and trees.

Dappled deer(Cervus nippon)

It grows in length up to 1.6-1.8 m with a weight of 75-130 kg. The size at the withers is 95-112 cm. The summer color of the deer is distinguished by a bright red-red color with white spotting, in winter the color fades.

Spotted deer eat not only mushrooms, nuts, leaves, and oak or alder shoots, but also a variety of herbs and berries. In winter, they find fallen leaves, last year's grass and acorns under the snow. In famine years, sika deer feed on bark deciduous trees. Individuals living near the sea coast are happy to eat algae thrown ashore and restore with the help of sea salt mineral balance of the body.

Spotted deer lead a herd life, gathering in small groups of 10-20 individuals. The distribution area of this species captures the plains, mountainous and foothill regions of the northern hemisphere. The sika deer lives on Far East, in middle lane Russia and the Caucasus.

The largest member of the family

The largest mammal in the deer family is elk ( Alces alces ) . Adults can reach 2.3 meters in height at the withers and weigh 655 kg. The body length of a male moose is about 3 meters. The rather short body of the animal contrasts slightly with the long legs on wide hooves.

The muzzle of an elk is more elongated compared to other representatives of the deer family, with large fleshy lips. Regardless of gender, the fur of animals is colored dark brown, and the belly and legs are much lighter than the back and sides. Elk horns are flatter than other members of the genus. That is why the moose is called "elk".

Moose live in many countries of the Northern Hemisphere, the range occupies a vast strip from the northern borders of the tundra to the forest-steppe regions in the south of Eurasia and North America. They live mainly in impassable thickets or wetlands, although they look for food on forest edges or along river banks. The diet of the moose is diverse and consists of herbs, mushrooms, berries, algae, tree branches and small shrubs.

The smallest deer in the world

Pudu- the smallest deer in the world. In the genus Pudu there are only two types: southern pudu ( pudu pudu) and northern pudu ( Pudu mephistophiles) . Pudu is a deer with a short body, the length of which rarely exceeds 90 cm, the height at the withers varies from 30 to 40 cm, the weight of the deer is from 7 to 10 kilograms, the length of the short horns is from 7 to 10 cm. -brown shade, back and muzzle somewhat darker, sometimes almost black.

The pudu deer lives in the southern territories of Chile, Ecuador and Peru. The smallest deer in the world feeds on foliage and young branches of shrubs and low trees. It does not form large herds, preferring to live alone, less often in pairs.

Although elk and deer belong to the same family, there are a number of significant differences between them.

The antlers of elk and deer have differences: in elks they develop horizontally with respect to the ground surface and have wide spatulate branches. Deer antlers soar up, and they are not so massive.
Elk is the largest among the representatives of deer. The weight of an elk can reach 655 kg. The weight of a deer does not exceed 350 kg, while in many species the average weight ranges from 150 kg.
The legs of an elk are taller and thinner than those of a deer.
Differences are also seen in public organization animals. Moose, unlike deer, never form herds, but live alone or in pairs.

Deer on the left, elk on the right

From roe deer, which are also included in this family, real deer differ in the structure of the horns and the way they feed.

The surface of roe deer horns is rough to the touch and covered with various tubercles, moreover, they do not have branches, like deer antlers.
Another significant difference between a roe deer and a deer is that the roe deer will never eat tree bark and branches of trees or shrubs, while for a deer this is a significant part of the diet.
There is also a difference in feeding offspring. If deer feed their cubs while standing, then in roe deer this process occurs in a lying position.

Deer on the left, roe deer on the right

deer breeding

Basically, deer are a herd animal, although some species lead a solitary lifestyle and look for a mate only during the rut.

A herd of deer, consisting of females and cubs, is led by a male during the mating season, protecting his harem group from rivals. The rut of deer in most European species begins in autumn and continues until the beginning of winter.

The deer's roar mating season can be heard at a great distance. Often there are skirmishes between males, when rivals converge with horns, in an attempt to knock the opponent down. A weaker opponent quickly backs down. Hornless male deer do not take part in tournaments, but are trying to slowly make their way into someone else's harem.

Puberty in deer occurs early: the female deer is ready for fertilization at the age of 1.5 years, males mature by 2-3 years. Depending on the species, the pregnancy of deer lasts 6 to 9 months.

The female deer chooses a safe place for childbirth. One deer is born, in rare cases twins. The color of most newborn deer species is spotted, which is an excellent camouflage and protection in the first year of life.

Barely born, a deer cub can already stand on its feet. A month later, a small deer begins to independently pluck grass and young shoots of plants, but continues to feed on mother's milk, often the entire first year of life.

At the age of one year, a male deer breaks through small tubercles (horns) on its forehead, which are destined to become the first horns without branches. In the following seasons, the number of branches continues to grow, and each new deer antler becomes more massive and stronger.

The most luxurious antlers are worn by male deer from 5 to 12 years, then the crown decreases, and the antlers weaken. The period when deer shed their antlers falls on the beginning-middle of spring, ossification occurs after 3 months.
The first deer on the planet appeared on the territory of modern Asia, more than 33 million years ago. After another 10 million years, artiodactyl animals moved to European part, and from there they crossed to the North American continent along the natural bridge that existed at that time. In South America, deer appeared only 2 million years ago.
In the cultures of many nationalities, the deer means nobility, grace and speed. Christians consider the deer the personification of loneliness, piety and purity.
Despite many natural enemies(wolves, lynxes, wolverines, big cats), man remains the main enemy of the deer. Since ancient times, deer have been ruthlessly exterminated during trophy hunting, so popular all over the world.
The attitude of man towards the deer is extremely contradictory: rare species are listed in the Red Book and are under the protection of many states. At the same time, the deer is on the list of the most dangerous invasive species, because in some regions numerous populations actively eat rare plants leading to their complete disappearance.
Unossified deer antlers (antlers) are of great value due to their unique healing properties. A water-alcohol extract obtained using antlers is used in pharmacology for the production of drugs prescribed for hypertension and diseases. nervous system. Made from ossified deer antlers food supplement- a powerful immunostimulator.

With a deer - one of the most beautiful representatives of the animal world - we begin our acquaintance almost from childhood. On a reindeer sleigh New Year Santa Claus goes home. The good deer helps Gerda to get to the Snow Queen. The king from the fairy tale of the same name by Carlo Gozzi turns into this animal. According to Baron Munchausen, a whole cherry tree once grew on the antlers of a deer. As we get older, we learn that in Scandinavian mythology, deer graze in magical herds belonging to the gods, and that they also eat buds, flowers and branches in the crown of the World Tree, symbolizing the elements of Time, and that the deer is one of the most common in heraldry of animals... And from history we learn that hunting this graceful beast was an exclusively royal privilege and that a commoner was threatened with the death penalty for accidentally killing a deer. In Christianity, deer represent hermitage, piety and purity, and are often a symbol of the human soul, longing for divine enlightenment, or God himself.

Here is what literature, mythology, religion and history tell us about the deer. What can science tell us about it?

Here is a photo of a red deer.

Science is not so exalted in metaphors and, avoiding symbolism, dryly informs us that the deer is a representative of the family of artiodactyl mammals, modern classification which has 51 species. She tells us, with barely perceptible sadness, that some species of deer have become extinct - for example, the Schomburgk deer and the bighorn deer - and a number of species, found mainly in Asia, are on the verge of extinction. We can also be surprised to learn that deer are not always large animals: for example, the smallest one - pudú - is no larger than a hare, and the largest - elk - is the size of a horse. We also learn something interesting about his horns: for example, what is it - hallmark male, and only two species - water and northern - stand out in this respect from the whole family. The water deer has no antlers at all, while the reindeer has antlers on both males and females. The shape of the horns depends on the species to which their owner belongs. They are updated every year.

The distribution range of deer covers Eurasia and America, in the south reaching the northwestern part of the African continent. Individual representatives brought by man for their own needs can be found in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and on some Caribbean islands. That is, the habitat for these animals can be a variety of climatic zones.

Deer mainly eat various parts plants, grass and reindeer moss, but the habitat also plays an important role in its nutrition. Many species are solitary, but there are those that prefer to live in herds, the size of which depends, again, on the species and habitat. For the most part, these herds are harems of 4 to 11 individuals, in which one male protects from encroachment by his females. They mark their territory with urine and special secretions from the head and leg glands. The same marks serve them for a kind of communication between relatives and the definition of “friend or foe”. Males are terrible owners, and not a single mating season passes without a duel between males for the right to be the leader in the group and mate with females. The stag that loses the duel is usually removed. One female usually leads one or two cubs.

For a number of northern peoples, deer are still the main horse-drawn transport and means of transportation. In their life and way of life, the deer occupies such important place that, for example, in the language of the Evenki people there are several dozen words to designate not only the type of individual, but also its age, appearance, etc.

When we get a general idea about this animal, an exciting geographical and biological journey through its species will begin, where an amusing difficulty will await us. In a number of sources, one can find the assertion that in nature there are only 25 species, and what an extensive classification considers as a type of deer - elk, roe deer and muntjacs - is actually just their closest relatives. Also, these sources will attribute the American white-tailed and black-tailed deer to the genus of roe deer. However, we will not delve into clarifying such subtleties, but only briefly get acquainted with the main types of deer, which include:

water deer.
noble.
spotted.
northern.
white-faced.
barasinga.
deer lyre.
Philippine spotted.
Philippine sambar.
Indian sambar.
axis.
pig deer.
Calamian.
deer Kul.
deer of David.
American whitetail.
American blacktail.
marsh.
pampas.
northern pudu.
Peruvian.
South Andean.
big mazama.

The differences between the species are in their geographical distribution, size and appearance of their representatives and lifestyle.

And only then science will tell us a little about each species. Unfortunately, everything she told us will not fit into the scope of this article, so this time we will limit ourselves to short story about some Asian species of deer, as representing the greatest diversity in the animal world of the Earth, and about big family noble deer.

Let me introduce myself…

It has the largest number subspecies that are found over a wide area from North Africa to Southeast China and North America. In Russia, it can be found in the forests of some southern regions, in the Sayans and in the forests of Sikhote-Alin. It was also brought to a number of countries in South America, to Australia and New Zealand, where it underwent excellent acclimatization.

The most preferred habitat for it is broad-leaved, subtropical and taiga forests, river banks and mountain alpine meadows. In a sense, the red deer can be called omnivorous: in addition to grass, bark and leaves, its menu includes cereals, legumes, needles, chestnuts, various nuts and seeds of various plants.

In some regions of Russia - in particular, in Altai, in Primorye, in the North Caucasus - it is also found dappled deer, so named because of the presence of white spots on the body of a red-red color. It is relatively low, reaching only 112 cm in height and weighing from 75 to 130 kg. (depending on age) with a body length of 160 - 180 cm. In winter, it
elegant wool fades.

In nature, the population of the sika deer is very small, so for some time now it has been bred on special farms. It is bred not only for the sake of maintaining numbers, but also for the sake of young horns - antlers. In Chinese folk medicine decoctions from them have been used since ancient times as a remedy, which has a good effect, among other things, on male potency. Deer change their antlers in April, and already in June antlers acquire the properties that make them so highly valued.

- a resident of coniferous forests and mountainous regions of eastern Tibet and two Chinese provinces bordering it, capable of living at an altitude of up to 5 km. The Russian traveler N. Przhevalsky first told the whole world about him in 1883. White-faced deer is enough large view reaching a weight of up to 200 kg. and a height of 130 cm, which does not prevent him from easily and gracefully climbing the slopes of the Tibetan Plateau. The coat of the white-faced deer is short in summer and long in winter. Its color also changes: in summer it is brown, in winter it is closer to gray. In addition, the deer has a white coloration of the front of the head and neck (because of which it got its name) and high and wide hooves. White-faced deer live in groups consisting of either males or females with calves. They feed mainly on herbs.

The white-faced deer is an object of hunting primarily due to the fact that its antlers are valued in Chinese medicine as highly as the antlers of its spotted counterpart. Until now, it has not disappeared only due to the fact that it lives in relatively inaccessible areas and over a vast range, however international association protection environment categorized it as "Vulnerable".

(“deer with twelve horns”) lives in most of India, Pakistan and the Republic of Bangladesh, eastern Iran and southern Nepal. It got its name because of the large number of horn processes, which can reach up to 14, or even up to 20 pieces. The growth of the barasinga is slightly higher than the white-faced deer, but in weight it is slightly inferior to it. His horns are noteworthy - their average length is 75 cm, but science knows cases when they reached a meter length. Deer wool is monophonic, has a light brown color, in summer time slightly lighter than in winter. In some representatives, barely noticeable spots can be seen on the body.

The native habitat of the barasinga is wetlands, meadows and protected areas, in particular, the Dudhava forest, which once saved these animals from complete disappearance. The deer feeds on grass, leads mainly a morning and evening lifestyle, and rests during the rest of the day. He has an excellent sense of smell, which helps him avoid danger from his main enemy - the tiger.

At one time, this species was often found in the Indian animal world, but the reclamation of swamps and their plowing in the 20th century led to a sharp reduction in its population. In addition, the deer has become an object of hunting due to its delicious meat and the use of antlers for cooking. special flour used in Indian traditional medicine in diseases of the chest. Now its numbers are slowly growing.

The closest "relative" of barasinga is deer lyre living in some regions of Indochina. This species was first discovered in 1839 in the Indian state of Manipur ( East End India).

It got its name due to the shape of the horns, resembling a lyre. To date, there is the following classification of its subspecies listed in the International Red Book:

manipur deer.
tkhamin.
Siamese.

They differ in the place of residence, which is reflected in the names. Manipur deer lives in only one place national park Keibul Lamjao near Loktak Lake (Manipur State). Habitat thamin deer- the eastern part of India, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Thailand, and lives in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Hainan Island and southern China. Their appearance is the same. In its coloring, the lyre deer is similar to barasinga, its height is about 110 cm, body length is up to 180 cm, weight is up to 140 kg. Females are noticeably smaller than males.

These deer lead a solitary lifestyle, breaking it only for marriage, prefer to live in swampy plains and rugged terrain with sparse shrubs. Like the barasinga, the lira deer feeds on grass.

- the largest deer living on the Hindustan peninsula. Its weight reaches up to 320 kg., And the average height is up to 140 cm. It is also famous for the length of the horns - in other individuals they reached 129 cm. The color of the coat is monophonic light gray-brown. In addition to the countries of the peninsula, the Indian sambar is distributed in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, in southern China and in the countries of Southeast Asia, where its habitat reaches the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

It is acclimatized in Australia, Turkey, Chile, Azerbaijan, New Zealand and the USA. The deer lives near the water, along the banks of the rivers, feeds on grass, leaves and various fruits. It is predominantly nocturnal, during the day it hides in the thickets of forests, where it is able to move silently, despite its size.

In the forest foothills of the Himalayan mountains and in Sri Lanka lives axis- a deer of small size and weighing up to 100 kg. with a reddish-gold coat color, over which numerous small white spots are scattered. Of all the Indian deer, it is the most common, found everywhere except in dry, devoid of any vegetation areas. As an acclimatized species, it can be found in the forests of Armenia.

It feeds on grass and various vegetation, lives in large herds, in which there is a place for everyone: adult males, females and young animals. In captivity, the axis is able to live up to 15 years, while in nature its life span is shorter due to the presence of formidable and "influential" enemies - the Bengal tiger, red wolf, leopard, hyena, jackal, crocodile.

- Another Asian inhabitant of small sizes (weight up to 50 kg., Length up to 110 cm., Height up to 70 cm.). In appearance, it resembles an axis, only without spots on the coat and with shorter legs. The coloration of males is darker than females, the lower part of the body and tail is lighter in both. The tail of a pig deer is fluffy.

His lifestyle is solitary. Females with deer sometimes gather in small herds. The natural habitat of this animal is flat terrain. Eats grass. The distribution area basically coincides with the continental range of the Indian sambar (except for Afghanistan and Iran). Acclimatized in Ceylon, USA and Australia.

To the rare Asian species, which are on the verge of extinction, are Philippine sika deer, Calamian and Kuhl deer. The main reasons for the catastrophic decline in their population are the isolated island way of life and the declining habitat. In more detail about these species, as well as about the deer of David, which can be found only in European and Russian zoos and the Chinese reserve Daphyn-Milu, we may talk in other articles.

Conclusion

No matter how sorry it is, but on this we will have to interrupt the journey through the species of deer, although each species is interesting in its own way, unique and deserves to be told at least a couple of words about it. Perhaps someday we will return to this topic and find out, for example, how the swamp deer differs from the pampas deer and why the northern pudu is considered the smallest deer in the world ...