Noble deer
The red deer is one of the largest mammals inhabiting the territory Central Europe... Its large, branched horns really amaze with their beauty and grandeur. With 15-18 subspecies of red deer for six there is a serious threat of destruction.
In summer, red deer hair is chestnut or reddish in color. In autumn, it becomes longer, tougher (does not let moisture through itself) and darker. It is extremely rare, usually in captivity, to meet red deer with white fur.
The mating season for reindeer falls in September - October, this period is called rutting. At this time, adult males are fighting fierce battles for the right to mate with females. For three weeks, the roar of deer is heard through the forest - calls to battle. A duel usually begins with intimidation and a show of strength. Sometimes it happens that the weaker male gives in without a fight. The winner gets a harem of females, in which there can be from 5 to 20 individuals. The male mates with each female ready for fertilization. At the same time, he protects the females and furiously drives away rivals from them. At the end of the rut, when stronger males are already losing strength, young individuals mate with females, in whom estrus occurs later. After the end of the rut, the males leave the females and unite in bachelor herds. Females also form herds with individuals of the same sex. Pregnancy of a female red deer lasts 8.5 months. Fawns are usually born in May-June. Within 20 minutes after birth, they get to their feet, although at first they do not hold on to them very firmly. A week later, the fawn begins to follow its mother. Horns in young males appear after 10 months.
The range of red deer is very large. The deer lives all over Western Europe, v North Africa, in Asia and most of North America. His natural environment is the forest. Deer inhabit vast forest areas. For example, many animals are found in forested mountainous areas, but deer can be found in lowlands or in floodplain forests.
Red deer eat different types of food. In areas where there is little snow in winter, they feed on grass throughout the year. In addition, deer eat grains, legumes and umbrella plants. In winter, they also eat last year's grass with fallen leaves. They also eat leaves from trees, gnaw on bark and pick up acorns.
The red deer has long been a favorite hunting object. Annual reduction of the number of deer by means of planned shooting is necessary, because, having multiplied, animals can cause serious damage to forests and fields. Some subspecies of red deer breed well in captivity.
Interesting Facts
V Ancient rome noble deer were harnessed to chariots during festive processions. Deer eating the remains of the skin covering the antlers is common. The red deer living in the highlands of Scotland eat the discarded antlers completely. This is due to the lack of minerals necessary for the growth of new horns in the food that grows on acidic peaty soils. During tournaments, males sometimes interlock with their horns so that later they cannot disperse. The sizes of animals belonging to different subspecies vary greatly. The smallest subspecies are Bukhara deer, and the largest are red deer and wapiti.
The observation of the real deer known as caribou was made possible with the assistance of Glenn Stout, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fishing and Hunting. Deer and caribou are almost identical animals (there are seven subspecies). In Europe they are all called deer, but in North America wild individuals are called caribou, and half-tamed animals are called deer.
Deer are a common species of animals for the arctic and subarctic regions. They meet in wildlife in Russia, North America, Iceland, Greenland, Norway and Finland. Large wild herds can range from 50,000 to 500,000. Some small herds in Alaska include 200 or 300 reindeer.
Wild reindeer migrate during the off-season and their migration areas can extend for several hundred miles. Animals follow a straight path. Scientists have estimated that they travel over 3,000 miles a year. Overcoming such a distance is beyond the power of any other land mammal.
Deer have been partially domesticated for 2,000 or 3,000 years. The life of a reindeer breeder is completely dependent on these artiodactyls. They provide a person with food, clothing, milk, and transportation. The animals pull the sled, but unlike the Christmas reindeer that carry Santa Claus, they only do it on solid ground.
Difference between domesticated and wild deer
Domesticated reindeer look and behave differently from their wild counterparts. They are slower than wild reindeer, which are prepared for long migrations. And the behavior of their herd is different. For example, under the influence of fright, a wild caribou will begin to run away, and its domestic relatives will gather in a herd.
What provides cold adaptation?
Reindeer are well adapted to live in cold and snowy conditions. Unlike most animals, which have narrow hooves, deer have wide ones. The hooves act as snowshoes and aid in digging snow when looking for food. Deer also have fur that runs across the surface of the hooves, which allows for a better bounce off the ground.
Animals have an outer cover of hollow protective hairs, between which air collects. It acts as insulation and helps the animals to stay afloat. These artiodactyls are considered excellent swimmers. For example, they can swim across large and fast-moving rivers.
Deer endure harsh winters when there are no plants in the forest. In this case, animals consume lichen as food, which is also done by some other animals. Lichen grows on rocks. It consists of symbiotic cells and is a cross between algae and fungus. There are also branchy and fluffy species, and some of them grow in soil, including one called " deer moss". This species is especially important for animal nutrition.
An integral "weapon" of an animal
Caribou are the only type of deer in which both males and females have antlers. The horns grow back every year. Most deer shed them in the winter, but the pregnant doe will wear the antlers until her calf is born in the spring. This helps her fight for scarce food, which is needed for the development of her offspring.
So what are some interesting facts about these proud animals?
Fawns can run several miles a couple of hours after birth and can be weaned at just 1 month of age.
To hide from predators, deer require a fair amount of mobility. The most dangerous for artiodactyls living in Alaska are wolves and bears.
Mother's milk caribou is rich in nutrients. In addition, it contains 20% fat. Compared to 5% contained in cow's milk, this is a very high indicator.
Deer eyes change color depending on the season. They are honey-colored in summer and blue in winter. What changes does the tapetum lucidum have? It is a layer at the back of the eye that is capable of reflecting light at night. Scientists think this is because animals' pupils continually dilate during the long, dark arctic winters.
Scientists have made very unexpected observations: deer eat narcotic substances... They love to eat fly agarics, which have hallucinogenic properties. It is said that the local shamans adopted the eating of these mushrooms from the reindeer. This is how fortunetellers provoke the appearance of visions. Some people even suggest that this is how we got the legend of the Christmas flying reindeer carrying Santa Claus in his sleigh!
Deer is a large, ruminant, cloven-hoofed animal. Nowadays, about 50 species of the deer family live on earth. home feature deer are branched antlers. As a rule, only male deer have horns, but even here there are exceptions - neither the female nor the male has horns for water deer, and both the male and the female have horns for the reindeer. All representatives of this family are beautiful slender animals with a relatively long neck and short tail... Most famous representative deer is a red deer.
Spreading
Reindeer are widespread on the globe... They inhabit Europe and Asia, South and North America, and northwest Africa. Reindeer can be found in Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea, where they were introduced by humans.
These animals can live in various climatic zones- in hot deserts, dry steppes, deciduous and coniferous forests as well as in the cold tundra.
Nutrition
The reindeer menu usually consists of plant food... They like leaves, twigs, buds of trees and shrubs, various herbaceous plants.
Reindeer live in complex climatic conditions Their main food is nutrient-poor lichens, so they sometimes supplement their diet with bird eggs.
All deer love salt, they find salt licks in nature - places where there are a lot of mineral salts in the soil, and they lick the soil.
Lifestyle
Deer are usually sedentary animals that constantly inhabit the same territory. Only reindeer are characterized by seasonal migrations looking for food and better weather conditions.
Most often, deer live in small groups, consisting of one male and several females with cubs. The male in this group is the most important - he protects the females and his territory. If any male wanders into someone else's territory, the host male enters into a duel with him. During this duel, the deer push each other with their horns, trying to prove their superiority. Often, such fights end in severe injuries.
Once a year, the female gives birth to cubs. Usually one or two fawn are born, but there are cases of birth and four cubs at once. Their fur coat is colored differently from that of adults, often there are spots on it that allow babies to remain invisible. The female feeds the fawns with milk for three to five months, but even after that, the fawns remain with their mother for several more months.
Deer can live up to 20 years, but in nature they rarely live longer than 10-12 years.
Deer brief information.
The observation of the real deer known as caribou was made possible with the assistance of Glenn Stout, a biologist with the Alaska Department of Fishing and Hunting. Deer and caribou are almost identical animals (there are seven subspecies). In Europe, they are all called deer, but in North America, wild individuals are called caribou, and half-tamed animals are called deer.
Habitat
Deer are a common species of animals for the arctic and subarctic regions. They are found in the wild in Russia, North America, Iceland, Greenland, Norway and Finland. Large wild herds can range from 50,000 to 500,000. Some small herds in Alaska include 200 or 300 reindeer.
Wild reindeer migrate during the off-season and their migration areas can extend for several hundred miles. Animals follow a straight path. Scientists have estimated that they travel over 3,000 miles a year. Overcoming such a distance is beyond the power of any other land mammal.
Deer have been partially domesticated for 2,000 or 3,000 years. The life of a reindeer breeder is completely dependent on these artiodactyls. They provide a person with food, clothing, milk, and transportation. The animals pull the sled, but unlike the Christmas reindeer that carry Santa Claus, they only do it on solid ground.
Difference between domesticated and wild deer
Domesticated reindeer look and behave differently from their wild counterparts. They are slower than wild reindeer, which are prepared for long migrations. And the behavior of their herd is different. For example, under the influence of fright, a wild caribou will begin to run away, and its domestic relatives will gather in a herd.
What provides cold adaptation?
Reindeer are well adapted to live in cold and snowy conditions. Unlike most animals, which have narrow hooves, deer have wide ones. The hooves act as snowshoes and aid in digging snow when looking for food. Deer also have fur that runs across the surface of the hooves, which allows for a better bounce off the ground.
Animals have an outer cover of hollow protective hairs, between which air collects. It acts as insulation and helps the animals to stay afloat. These artiodactyls are considered excellent swimmers. For example, they can swim across large and fast-moving rivers.
Deer endure harsh winters when there are no plants in the forest. In this case, animals consume lichen as food, which is also done by some other animals. Lichen grows on rocks. It consists of symbiotic cells and is a cross between algae and fungus. There are also branched and fluffy species, and some of them grow in soil, including one called "deer moss." This species is especially important for animal nutrition.
An integral "weapon" of an animal
Caribou are the only type of deer in which both males and females have antlers. The horns grow back every year. Most deer shed them in the winter, but the pregnant doe will wear the antlers until her calf is born in the spring. This helps her fight for scarce food, which is needed for the development of her offspring.
So what are some interesting facts about these proud animals?
Fawns can run several miles a couple of hours after birth and can be weaned at just 1 month of age.
To hide from predators, deer require a fair amount of mobility. The most dangerous for artiodactyls living in Alaska are wolves and bears.
Mother's milk caribou is rich in nutrients. In addition, it contains 20% fat. Compared to 5% in cow's milk, this is a very high figure.
Deer eyes change color depending on the season. They are honey-colored in summer and blue in winter. What changes does the tapetum lucidum have? It is a layer at the back of the eye that is capable of reflecting light at night. Scientists think this is because animals' pupils continually dilate during the long, dark arctic winters.
Scientists have made very unexpected observations: deer use drugs. They love to eat fly agarics, which have hallucinogenic properties. It is said that the local shamans adopted the eating of these mushrooms from the reindeer. This is how fortunetellers provoke the appearance of visions. Some people even speculate that this is how we got the legend of Christmas flying reindeer carrying Santa Claus in a sleigh!
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