139-463: The chital or cheetal ( Axis axis ; / tʃ iː t əl / ), also known as the spotted deer , chital deer and axis deer , is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent . It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, male chital reach 90 cm (35 in) and females 70 cm (28 in) at
278-781: A USDA representative. Releasing them on the island of Hawaii was planned, but was abandoned after pressure from scientists over damage to landscapes caused by the chital on other islands. In 2012, chital were spotted on the island of Hawaii; wildlife officials think that people had flown them by helicopter and transported them by boat onto the island. In August 2012, a helicopter pilot pleaded guilty to transporting four chital from Maui to Hawaii. Hawaii law now prohibits "the intentional possession or interisland transportation or release of wild or feral deer." In 1932, chital were introduced to Texas . In 1988, self-sustaining herds were present in 27 counties in Central and South Texas . The chital
417-494: A cable-backed bow . Several Indigenous American tribes also used antler to make bows, gluing tendons to the bow instead of tying them as cables. An antler bow, made in the early 19th century, is on display at Brooklyn Museum . Its manufacture is attributed to the Yankton Sioux . Through history large deer antler from a suitable species (e.g. red deer ) were often cut down to its shaft and its lowest tine and used as
556-503: A clade sister to Cervidae. According to the study, Cervidae diverged from the Bovidae-Moschidae clade 27 to 28 million years ago. The following cladogram is based on the 2003 study. Tragulidae [REDACTED] Antilocapridae [REDACTED] Giraffidae [REDACTED] Cervidae [REDACTED] Bovidae [REDACTED] Antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of
695-668: A kid . A castrated male is a havier . A group of any species is a herd . The adjective of relation is cervine ; like the family name Cervidae , this is from Latin : cervus , meaning ' stag ' or ' deer ' . Deer live in a variety of biomes , ranging from tundra to the tropical rainforest . While often associated with forests, many deer are ecotone species that live in transitional areas between forests and thickets (for cover) and prairie and savanna (open space). The majority of large deer species inhabit temperate mixed deciduous forest, mountain mixed coniferous forest, tropical seasonal/dry forest, and savanna habitats around
834-719: A liver without a gallbladder . Deer also have a tapetum lucidum , which gives them sufficiently good night vision . All male deer have antlers , with the exception of the water deer , in which males have long tusk-like canines that reach below the lower jaw. Females generally lack antlers, though female reindeer bear antlers smaller and less branched than those of the males. Occasionally females in other species may develop antlers, especially in telemetacarpal deer such as European roe deer, red deer, white-tailed deer and mule deer and less often in plesiometacarpal deer. A study of antlered female white-tailed deer noted that antlers tend to be small and malformed, and are shed frequently around
973-409: A 2006 phylogenetic study: Cervus , fallow deer ( Dama dama ), Père David's deer ( Elaphurus davidianus ) and Rusa Barasinga Schomburgk's deer Chital Indian hog deer ( A. porcinus ) Muntjacs ( Muntiacus ) Fossils of extinct Axis species dating to the early to Middle Pliocene were excavated from Iran in the west to Indochina in the east. Remains of the chital were found in
1112-406: A broad central portion), white-tailed deer antlers include a series of tines sprouting upward from a forward-curving main beam, and those of the pudú are mere spikes. Antler development begins from the pedicel, a bony structure that appears on the top of the skull by the time the animal is a year old. The pedicel gives rise to a spiky antler the following year, that is replaced by a branched antler in
1251-456: A disease which in the UK in 2005 cost £90 million in attempts to eradicate. In New Zealand, deer are thought to be important as vectors picking up M. bovis in areas where brushtail possums Trichosurus vulpecula are infected, and transferring it to previously uninfected possums when their carcasses are scavenged elsewhere. The white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus has been confirmed as
1390-502: A few hours before sunrise, typically in the forest which is cooler than the glades. These deer typically move in a single file on specific tracks, with a distance of two to three times their width between them, when on a journey, typically in search of food and water sources. A study in the Gir National Park ( Gujarat , India) showed that chital travel the most in summer of all seasons. When cautiously inspecting its vicinity,
1529-606: A heavy encumbrance and to give him more time to regrow a larger new pair. Yet antlers are commonly retained through the winter and into the spring, suggesting that they have another use. Wolves in Yellowstone National Park are 3.6 times more likely to attack individual male elk without antlers, or groups of elk in which at least one male is without antlers. Half of all male elk killed by wolves lack antlers, at times in which only one quarter of all males have shed antlers. These findings suggest that antlers have
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#17327807832061668-555: A nearly complete skeleton of Diacodexis discovered in 1982 gave rise to speculation that this ancestor could be closer to the non-ruminants than the ruminants. Andromeryx is another prominent prehistoric ruminant, but appears to be closer to the tragulids . The formation of the Himalayas and the Alps brought about significant geographic changes. This was the chief reason behind the extensive diversification of deer-like forms and
1807-566: A one-pointed pickax . Antler headdresses were worn by shamans and other spiritual figures in various cultures, and for dances; 21 antler "frontlets" apparently for wearing on the head, and over 10,000 years old, have been excavated at the English Mesolithic site of Starr Carr . Antlers are still worn in traditional dances such as Yaqui deer dances and carried in the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance . In
1946-441: A predator. Fawns in search of their mother often squeal. The chital can respond to the alarm calls of several animals, such as the common myna and langurs . Marking behaviour is pronounced in males. Males have well-developed preorbital glands (near the eyes). They stand on their hind legs to reach tall branches and rub the open preorbital glands to deposit their scent there. This posture is also used while foraging. Urine marking
2085-543: A result of acclimatisation society releases in the 19th century, Australia has six introduced species of deer that have established sustainable wild populations. They are fallow deer, red deer, sambar, hog deer, rusa , and chital. Red deer were introduced into New Zealand in 1851 from English and Scottish stock. Many have been domesticated in deer farms since the late 1960s and are common farm animals there now. Seven other species of deer were introduced into New Zealand but none are as widespread as red deer. Deer constitute
2224-497: A role in mythology , religion, and literature throughout history, as well as in heraldry , such as red deer that appear in the coat of arms of Åland . Their economic importance includes the use of their meat as venison , their skins as soft, strong buckskin , and their antlers as handles for knives. Deer hunting has been a popular activity since the Middle Ages and remains a resource for many families today. The word deer
2363-492: A secondary function in deterring predation. Reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus) are the only cervid species that inhabit the Arctic and subarctic regions of the globe, yet their most striking distinction is the presence of pedicles after birth and antlers in both males and females. One possible reason that females of this species evolved antlers is to clear away snow so they can eat the vegetation underneath. Another possible reason
2502-465: A shed trap to collect the loose antlers in the late winter/early spring. In most US states, the possession of or trade in parts of game animals is subject to some degree of regulation, but the trade in antlers is widely permitted. In the national parks of Canada, the removal of shed antlers is an offense punishable by a maximum fine of C$ 25,000, as the Canadian government considers antlers to belong to
2641-490: A smaller form, but a combination of anthropogenic and climatic pressures is now thought to be the most likely culprit. Meanwhile, the moose and reindeer radiated into North America from Siberia. Deer constitute the artiodactyl family Cervidae. This family was first described by German zoologist Georg August Goldfuss in Handbuch der Zoologie (1820). Three subfamilies were recognised: Capreolinae (first described by
2780-469: A source of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals and are often gnawed upon by small animals, including squirrels, porcupines, rabbits and mice. This is more common among animals inhabiting regions where the soil is deficient in these minerals. Antlers shed in oak forest inhabited by squirrels are rapidly chewed to pieces by them. Antlered heads are prized as trophies with larger sets being more highly prized. The first organization to keep records of sizes
2919-402: A study of trophy antlers with an artificial ear confirmed that the large flattened (palmate) antler behaves like a parabolic reflector. The diversification of antlers, body size and tusks has been strongly influenced by changes in habitat and behavior (fighting and mating). Antlers originated once in the cervid lineage. The earliest fossil remains of antlers that have been found are dated to
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#17327807832063058-415: A suffix indicating an action or state of being) possibly from some form of an unattested Latin word *anteocularis , "before the eye" (and applied to the word for "branch" or " horn " ). Antlers are unique to cervids . The ancestors of deer had tusks (long upper canine teeth ). In most species, antlers appear to replace tusks. However, one modern species (the water deer ) has tusks and no antlers and
3197-783: A wide variety of vegetation. The teeth of deer are adapted to feeding on vegetation, and like other ruminants, they lack upper incisors , instead having a tough pad at the front of their upper jaw. Deer are browsers , and feed primarily on foliage of grasses , sedges , forbs , shrubs and trees , secondarily on lichens in northern latitudes during winter. They have small, unspecialized stomachs by ruminant standards, and high nutrition requirements. Rather than eating and digesting vast quantities of low-grade fibrous food as, for example, sheep and cattle do, deer select easily digestible shoots, young leaves, fresh grasses, soft twigs, fruit, fungi , and lichens . The low-fibered food, after minimal fermentation and shredding, passes rapidly through
3336-403: Is also observed; the smell of urine is typically stronger than that of the deposited scent. Sparring between males begins with the larger male displaying his dominance before the other; this display consists of hissing heading away from the other male with the tail facing him, the nose pointing to the ground, the ears down, the antlers upright, and the upper lip raised. The fur often bristles during
3475-737: Is an organization for those who take part in this activity. In the United States in 2017 sheds fetch around US$ 10 per pound, with larger specimens in good condition attracting higher prices. The most desirable antlers have been found soon after being shed. The value is reduced if they have been damaged by weathering or being gnawed by small animals. A matched pair from the same animal is a very desirable find but often antlers are shed separately and may be separated by several miles. Some enthusiasts for shed hunting use trained dogs to assist them. Most hunters will follow 'game trails' (trails where deer frequently run) to find these sheds or they will build
3614-815: Is annual, and is controlled by the length of daylight. Although the antlers are regrown each year, their size varies with the age of the animal in many species, increasing annually over several years before reaching maximum size. In tropical species, antlers may be shed at any time of year, and in some species such as the sambar , antlers are shed at different times in the year depending on multiple factors. Some equatorial deer never shed their antlers. A 2019 study published in Science identified eight genes active in antler formation that are normally associated with bone cancer , particularly osteosarcoma . Additional tumor-suppressing and tumor-growth-inhibiting genes were determined to be responsible for regulating antler growth. This
3753-409: Is characterized as being made up of primarily collagen and a mineral phase . In antlers, the mineral content is considerably lower than other examples of bone tissue, while having a high volume of collagen. This leads antlers to having lower yield strength and stiffness , but higher fracture toughness when compared to human cortical bone. Mineral content differs among species and also depends on
3892-494: Is for female competition during winter foraging. Espmark (1964) observed that the presence of antlers on females is related to the hierarchy rank and is a result of the harsh winter conditions and the female dominated parental investment. Males shed their antlers prior to winter, while female antlers are retained throughout winter. Also, female antler size plateaus at the onset of puberty, around age three, while males' antler size increases during their lifetime. This likely reflects
4031-473: Is most populous on the Edwards Plateau . Chital of unknown origin were introduced to the islands of Brijuni in 1911. They also live on Rab Island . The population on the islands comprised about 200 individuals as of 2010. Attempts by hunters to introduce the species to the mainland of Croatia were unsuccessful. There have been sightings of herds of introduced chital in an interandean valley near
4170-575: Is nearly 22 years. The longevity in the wild, however, is merely five to ten years. The chital is found in large numbers in dense deciduous or semi-evergreen forests and open grasslands. The highest numbers of chital are found in the forests of India, where they feed upon tall grass and shrubs. Chital have been also spotted in Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan, which has the only remaining natural sal ( Shorea robusta ) forest in
4309-452: Is only slightly taller and heavier. Sexual dimorphism is quite pronounced – in most species males tend to be larger than females, and, except for the reindeer, only males have antlers. Coat colour generally varies between red and brown, though it can be as dark as chocolate brown in the tufted deer or have a grayish tinge as in elk. Different species of brocket deer vary from gray to reddish brown in coat colour. Several species such as
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4448-423: Is produced year-round, though testosterone levels register a fall during the development of the antlers. Females have regular oestrus cycles, each lasting three weeks. The female can conceive again two weeks to four months after the birth. Males sporting hard antlers are dominant over those in velvet or those without antlers, irrespective of their size. Courtship is based on tending bonds. A rutting male fasts during
4587-414: Is roughly perpendicular to the beam (the central stalk of the antler). The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long. Antlers, as in most other cervids, are shed annually. The antlers emerge as soft tissues (known as velvet antlers) and progressively harden into bony structures (known as hard antlers), following mineralisation and blockage of blood vessels in the tissue, from
4726-475: Is sexual selection, which operates via two mechanisms: male-to-male competition (behaviorally, physiologically) and female mate choice . Male-male competition can take place in two forms. First, they can compete behaviorally where males use their antlers as weapons to compete for access to mates; second, they can compete physiologically where males present their antlers to display their strength and fertility competitiveness to compete for access to mates. Males with
4865-412: Is strong enough to walk with its mother. The fawn and its mother stay together for about one year. A male usually leaves and never sees his mother again, but females sometimes come back with their own fawns and form small herds. In some areas of the UK, deer (especially fallow deer due to their gregarious behaviour ) have been implicated as a possible reservoir for transmission of bovine tuberculosis ,
5004-405: Is that the costs of having larger antlers (resource use, and mobility detriments, for instance) exert enough selective pressure to offset the benefit of attracting mates; thereby stabilizing antler size in the population. If antlers functioned only in male–male competition for mates, the best evolutionary strategy would be to shed them immediately after the rutting season, both to free the male from
5143-501: Is the moose , which is nearly 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) tall and weighs up to 800 kilograms (1,800 lb). The elk stands 1.4–2 metres (4 ft 7 in – 6 ft 7 in) at the shoulder and weighs 240–450 kilograms (530–990 lb). The northern pudu is the smallest deer in the world; it reaches merely 32–35 centimetres ( 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 –14 in) at the shoulder and weighs 3.3–6 kilograms ( 7 + 1 ⁄ 4 – 13 + 1 ⁄ 4 lb). The southern pudu
5282-582: Is typically up to 15; herds can have five to 40 members in India. Studies in the Nallamala Hills ( Andhra Pradesh , India) and the Western Ghats (western coast of India) showed seasonal variation in the sex ratio of herds; this was attributed to the tendency of females to isolate themselves ahead of parturition. Similarly, rutting males leave their herds during the mating season, hence altering
5421-852: The Andaman Islands , Argentina , Australia , Brazil , Chile , Mexico , Paraguay , Uruguay , Alabama , Point Reyes National Seashore in California , Florida , Hawaii , Mississippi , and Texas in the United States, and the Veliki Brijun Island in the Brijuni Archipelago of the Istrian Peninsula in Croatia . With effect from 2 August 2022, the European Union added the chital to
5560-647: The Barbary stag , a subspecies of red deer that is confined to the Atlas Mountains in the northwest of the continent. Another extinct species of deer, Megaceroides algericus , was present in North Africa until 6000 years ago. Fallow deer have been introduced to South Africa . Small species of brocket deer and pudús of Central and South America , and muntjacs of Asia generally occupy dense forests and are less often seen in open spaces, with
5699-495: The Caucasus Mountains have forest areas that are not only home to sizable deer populations but also other animals that were once abundant such as the wisent, Eurasian lynx , Iberian lynx , wolves , and brown bears . The highest concentration of large deer species in temperate Asia occurs in the mixed deciduous forests, mountain coniferous forests, and taiga bordering North Korea, Manchuria (Northeastern China), and
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5838-617: The Cervidae (deer) family . Antlers are a single structure composed of bone , cartilage , fibrous tissue , skin , nerves , and blood vessels . They are generally found only on males, with the exception of reindeer/caribou . Antlers are shed and regrown each year and function primarily as objects of sexual attraction and as weapons . Antler comes from the Old French antoillier (see present French : "Andouiller", from ant-, meaning before, oeil, meaning eye and -ier ,
5977-499: The Kanha National Park ( Madhya Pradesh , India) include those of Ficus species from January to May, Cordia myxa from May to June, and Syzygium cumini from June to July. Individuals tend to group together and forage while moving slowly. Chital are generally silent when grazing together. Males often stand on their hindlegs to reach tall branches. Water holes are visited nearly twice daily, with great caution. In
6116-496: The Middle Pleistocene deposits of Thailand along with sun bear , Stegodon , gaur , wild water buffalo and other living and extinct mammals. The chital is a moderately sized deer. Males reach up to 90–100 cm (35–39 in) and females 65–75 cm (26–30 in) at the shoulder; the head-and-body length is around 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in). While immature males weigh 30–75 kg (66–165 lb),
6255-637: The Pleistocene have been excavated in China and the Himalayas. While Cervus and Dama appeared nearly 3 Mya, Axis emerged during the late Pliocene–Pleistocene. The tribes Capreolini and Rangiferini appeared around 4–7 Mya. Around 5 Mya, the rangiferina † Bretzia and † Eocoileus were the first cervids to reach North America. This implies the Bering Strait could be crossed during
6394-905: The Sami people of Finland and Scandinavia, the Tungusic peoples, Mongolians, and Turkic peoples of Southern Siberia, Northern Mongolia, and the Ussuri Region have also taken to raising semi-domesticated herds of Asian caribou. The highest concentration of large deer species in the tropics occurs in Southern Asia in India's Indo-Gangetic Plain Region and Nepal 's Terai Region. These fertile plains consist of tropical seasonal moist deciduous, dry deciduous forests, and both dry and wet savannas that are home to chital , hog deer , barasingha , Indian sambar , and Indian muntjac . Grazing species such as
6533-482: The Sanskrit word citrala (चित्रल), meaning "variegated" or "spotted". The name of the cheetah has a similar origin. Variations of "chital" include "cheetal" and "cheetul". Other common names for the chital are Indian spotted deer (or simply the spotted deer) and axis deer. The chital was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777 as Cervus axis . In 1827, Charles Hamilton Smith placed
6672-570: The Sundarbans and some eco parks around the Bay of Bengal, but is locally extinct in central and north-eastern Bangladesh. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Sri Lanka are the southern limits of its distribution. It sporadically occur in forested areas throughout the Indian peninsula. The chital was the first species of deer introduced into Australia in the early 1800s by John Harris, surgeon to
6811-532: The Tethys Ocean disappeared to give way to vast stretches of grassland; these provided the deer with abundant protein-rich vegetation that led to the development of ornamental antlers and allowed populations to flourish and colonise areas. As antlers had become pronounced, the canines were either lost or became poorly represented (as in elk), probably because diet was no longer browse -dominated and antlers were better display organs. In muntjac and tufted deer,
6950-493: The merycodontines eventually gave rise to the modern pronghorn. The Cervinae emerged as the first group of extant cervids around 7–9 Mya, during the late Miocene in central Asia. The tribe Muntiacini made its appearance as † Muntiacus leilaoensis around 7–8 Mya; The early muntjacs varied in size–as small as hares or as large as fallow deer. They had tusks for fighting and antlers for defence. Capreolinae followed soon after; Alceini appeared 6.4–8.4 Mya. Around this period,
7089-593: The muntjacs have small antlers and tusks. The musk deer , which are not true cervids, also bear tusks in place of antlers. In contrast to antlers, horns —found on pronghorns and bovids , such as sheep, goats, bison and cattle—are two-part structures that usually do not shed. A horn's interior of bone is covered by an exterior sheath made of keratin (the same material as human fingernails and toenails). Antlers are usually found only on males. Only reindeer (known as caribou in North America) have antlers on
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#17327807832067228-464: The photoperiod . Deer are also excellent jumpers and swimmers. Deer are ruminants , or cud-chewers, and have a four-chambered stomach. Some deer, such as those on the island of Rùm , do consume meat when it is available. Nearly all deer have a facial gland in front of each eye. The gland contains a strongly scented pheromone , used to mark its home range. Bucks of a wide range of species open these glands wide when angry or excited. All deer have
7367-892: The velvet antler stage, antlers of elk and deer have been used in Asia as a dietary supplement or alternative medicinal substance for more than 2,000 years. Recently, deer antler extract has become popular among Western athletes and body builders because the extract, with its trace amounts of IGF-1 , is believed to help build and repair muscle tissue ; however, one double-blind study did not find evidence of intended effects. Elk, deer, and moose antlers have also become popular forms of dog chews that owners purchase for their pet canines. Dogs are sometimes used to find shed antlers. The North American Shed Hunting Dog Association (NASHDA) has resources for people who want to train their dogs to find shed antlers and hold shed dog hunting events. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from
7506-499: The water deer ), as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year. These antlers are bony extensions of the skull and are often used for combat between males. The musk deer ( Moschidae ) of Asia and chevrotains ( Tragulidae ) of tropical African and Asian forests are separate families that are also in the ruminant clade Ruminantia ; they are not especially closely related to Cervidae. Deer appear in art from Paleolithic cave paintings onwards, and they have played
7645-453: The 1860s, chital were introduced to the island of Molokai, Hawaii , as a gift from Hong Kong to King Kamehameha V . By 2021, there were approximately 50,000 to 70,000 Axis deer on Molokai, as opposed to a human population of 7,500 people. During a drought that extended into 2021, hundreds of the deer died of starvation. Chital were introduced to Lanai , island and, soon became plentiful on both islands. Chital were introduced to Maui island in
7784-572: The 1950s to increase hunting opportunities. Because the chital has no natural predators on the Hawaiian islands, the population had been growing 20 to 30% each year, causing serious damage to agriculture and natural areas. To help control the excess population on Maui, a company called Maui Nui was founded in 2017 to hunt the deer and sell venison. In 2022, the company took 9,526 deer and sold 450,000 pounds (200,000 kg) of venison. The deer are harvested at night using infrared technology, accompanied by
7923-549: The British Columbia side, and Banff National Park , Jasper National Park , and Glacier National Park (U.S.) on the Alberta and Montana sides. Mountain slope habitats vary from moist coniferous/mixed forested habitats to dry subalpine/pine forests with alpine meadows higher up. The foothills and river valleys between the mountain ranges provide a mosaic of cropland and deciduous parklands. The rare woodland caribou have
8062-511: The Cervidae, are believed to have evolved from Diacodexis , the earliest known artiodactyl (even-toed ungulate), 50–55 Mya in the Eocene. Diacodexis , nearly the size of a rabbit , featured the talus bone characteristic of all modern even-toed ungulates . This ancestor and its relatives occurred throughout North America and Eurasia, but were on the decline by at least 46 Mya. Analysis of
8201-465: The English zoologist Joshua Brookes in 1828), Cervinae (described by Goldfuss) and Hydropotinae (first described by French zoologist Édouard Louis Trouessart in 1898). Other attempts at the classification of deer have been based on morphological and genetic differences. The Anglo-Irish naturalist Victor Brooke suggested in 1878 that deer could be bifurcated into two classes on the according to
8340-773: The European Dremotherium ; these sabre-toothed animals are believed to have been the direct ancestors of all modern antlered deer, though they themselves lacked antlers. Another contemporaneous form was the four-horned protoceratid Protoceras , that was replaced by Syndyoceras in the Miocene; these animals were unique in having a horn on the nose. Late Eocene fossils dated approximately 35 million years ago, which were found in North America, show that Syndyoceras had bony skull outgrowths that resembled non-deciduous antlers. Fossil evidence suggests that
8479-747: The Ice Ages, but afterwards became restricted primarily to the Anatolian Peninsula, in present-day Turkey. Present-day fallow deer populations in Europe are a result of historic man-made introductions of this species, first to the Mediterranean regions of Europe, then eventually to the rest of Europe. They were initially park animals that later escaped and reestablished themselves in the wild. Historically, Europe's deer species shared their deciduous forest habitat with other herbivores, such as
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#17327807832068618-585: The Indian Subcontinent) boasts the most species of deer in the world, with most species being found in Asia. Europe, in comparison, has lower diversity in plant and animal species. Many national parks and protected reserves in Europe have populations of red deer, roe deer , and fallow deer. These species have long been associated with the continent of Europe, but also inhabit Asia Minor , the Caucasus Mountains , and Northwestern Iran . "European" fallow deer historically lived over much of Europe during
8757-578: The Kanha National Park, mineral licks rich in calcium and phosphorus pentoxide were scraped at by the incisors . Chital also gnaw bones and fallen antlers for their minerals. Males in velvet indulge in such osteophagia to a greater extent. Chital in the Sunderbans may be omnivores ; remains of red crabs have been found in the rumen of individuals. Breeding takes place throughout the year, with peaks that vary geographically. Sperm
8896-589: The New South Wales Corps, and he had about 400 of these animals on his property by 1813. These did not survive, and the primary range of the chital is now confined to a few cattle stations in North Queensland near Charters Towers and several feral herds on the NSW north and south coasts. While some of the stock originated from Sri Lanka (Ceylon), the Indian race likely is also represented. In
9035-547: The Ussuri Region (Russia). These are among some of the richest deciduous and coniferous forests in the world where one can find Siberian roe deer , sika deer , elk, and moose. Asian caribou occupy the northern fringes of this region along the Sino-Russian border. Deer such as the sika deer, Thorold's deer , Central Asian red deer , and elk have historically been farmed for their antlers by Han Chinese , Turkic peoples , Tungusic peoples , Mongolians , and Koreans . Like
9174-627: The Viking Age and medieval period, it formed an important raw material in the craft of comb-making. In later periods, antler—used as a cheap substitute for ivory —was a material especially associated with equipment for hunting , such as saddles and horse harness, guns and daggers, powder flasks , as well as buttons and the like. The decorative display of wall-mounted pairs of antlers has been popular since medieval times at least. The Netsilik , an Inuit group, made bows and arrows using antler, reinforced with strands of animal tendons braided to form
9313-557: The Western Ghats. Grazers as well as browsers , the chital mainly feed on grasses throughout the year. They prefer young shoots, in the absence of which, tall and coarse grasses are nibbled off at the tips. Browse forms a major portion of the diet only in the winter-October to January-when the grasses, tall or dried up, are no longer palatable. Browse includes herbs, shrubs, foliage, fruits, and forbs ; Moghania species are often preferred while browsing. Fruits eaten by chital in
9452-407: The alimentary canal. The deer require a large amount of minerals such as calcium and phosphate in order to support antler growth, and this further necessitates a nutrient-rich diet. There are some reports of deer engaging in carnivorous activity, such as eating dead alewives along lakeshores or depredating the nests of northern bobwhites . Nearly all cervids are so-called uniparental species:
9591-555: The antler has achieved its full size, the velvet is lost and the antler's bone dies. This dead bone structure is the mature antler. In most cases, the bone at the base is destroyed by osteoclasts and the antlers fall off at some point. As a result of their fast growth rate, antlers are considered a handicap since there is an immense nutritional demand on deer to re-grow antlers annually, and thus can be honest signals of metabolic efficiency and food gathering capability. In most Arctic and temperate-zone species, antler growth and shedding
9730-618: The antlers as well as the canines are small. The tragulids have long canines to this day. With the onset of the Pliocene , the global climate became cooler. A fall in the sea-level led to massive glaciation; consequently, grasslands abounded in nutritious forage. Thus a new spurt in deer populations ensued. The oldest member of Cervini, † Cervocerus novorossiae , appeared around the transition from Miocene to Pliocene (4.2–6 Mya) in Eurasia; cervine fossils from early Pliocene to as late as
9869-797: The antlers create grooves that allow another male's antlers to lock into place. This allows the males to wrestle without risking injury to the face. Antlers are correlated to an individual's position in the social hierarchy and its behaviour. For instance, the heavier the antlers, the higher the individual's status in the social hierarchy, and the greater the delay in shedding the antlers; males with larger antlers tend to be more aggressive and dominant over others. Antlers can be an honest signal of genetic quality; males with larger antlers relative to body size tend to have increased resistance to pathogens and higher reproductive capacity. In elk in Yellowstone National Park , antlers also provide protection against predation by wolves . Homology of tines, that is,
10008-503: The basis of diploid number of chromosomes in the late 20th century has been flawed by several inconsistencies. In 1987, the zoologists Colin Groves and Peter Grubb identified three subfamilies: Cervinae, Hydropotinae and Odocoileinae; they noted that the hydropotines lack antlers, and the other two subfamilies differ in their skeletal morphology. They reverted from this classification in 2000. Molecular phylogenetic analyses since
10147-692: The branching structure of antlers among species, have been discussed before the 1900s. Recently, a new method to describe the branching structure of antlers and determining homology of tines was developed. Most deer bear 32 teeth; the corresponding dental formula is: 0.0.3.3 3.1.3.3 . The elk and the reindeer may be exceptions, as they may retain their upper canines and thus have 34 teeth (dental formula: 0.1.3.3 3.1.3.3 ). The Chinese water deer, tufted deer, and muntjac have enlarged upper canine teeth forming sharp tusks, while other species often lack upper canines altogether. The cheek teeth of deer have crescent ridges of enamel, which enable them to grind
10286-480: The chital forms matriarchal herds comprising an adult female and her offspring of the previous and the present year, which may be associated with individuals of any age and either sex, male herds, and herds of juveniles and mothers. Small herds are common, though aggregations of as many as 100 individuals have been observed. Groups are loose and disband frequently, save for the juvenile-mother herd. Herd membership in Texas
10425-425: The chital in its own subgenus Axis under the genus Cervus . Axis was elevated to generic status by Colin P. Groves and Peter Grubb in 1987. The genus Hyelaphus was considered a subgenus of Axis . However, a morphological analysis showed significant differences between Axis and Hyelaphus . A phylogenetic study later that year showed that Hyelaphus is closer to the genus Rusa than Axis . Axis
10564-564: The chital stands motionless and listens with rapt attention, facing the potential danger, if any. This stance may be adopted by nearby individuals, as well. As an antipredator measure, chital flee in groups (unlike the hog deer that disperse on alarm); sprints are often followed by hiding in dense undergrowth . The running chital has its tail raised, exposing the white underparts. The chital can leap and clear fences as high as 1.5 m (4.9 ft) but prefers to dive under them. It stays within 300 m (980 ft) of cover. A gregarious animal,
10703-405: The chital, the fallow deer and the sika deer feature white spots on a brown coat. Coat of reindeer shows notable geographical variation. Deer undergo two moults in a year; for instance, in red deer the red, thin-haired summer coat is gradually replaced by the dense, greyish brown winter coat in autumn, which in turn gives way to the summer coat in the following spring. Moulting is affected by
10842-539: The chital, akin to the North American elk , gives out bellows and alarm barks. Its calls are, however, not as strong as those of elk or red deer ; they are mainly coarse bellows or loud growls. Bellowing coincides with rutting. Dominant males guarding females in oestrus make high-pitched growls at less powerful males. Males may moan during aggressive displays or while resting. Chital, mainly females and juveniles, bark persistently when alarmed or if they encounter
10981-553: The chital. An interesting relationship has been observed between herds of chital and troops of the northern plains grey langurs , a widespread South Asian monkey. Chital benefit from the langurs' eyesight and ability to post a lookout from trees, while the langur benefit from the chital's strong sense of smell, both of which help keep a check on potential danger. The chital also benefit from fruits dropped by langurs from trees such as Terminalia bellirica and Phyllanthus emblica . The chital has been observed foraging with sambar deer in
11120-661: The country. They do not occur at high altitudes, where they are usually replaced by other species such as the sambar deer. They also prefer heavy forest cover for shade and avoid direct sunlight. The chital is listed on the IUCN Red List as least concern "because it occurs over a very wide range within which there are many large populations". Currently, no range-wide threats to chitals are present, and they live in many protected areas. However, population densities are below ecological carrying capacity in many places due to hunting and competition with domestic livestock. Hunting for
11259-550: The deer's meat has caused substantial declines and local extinctions. The axis deer is protected under Schedule III of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and under the Wildlife (Preservation) (Amendment) Act, 1974 of Bangladesh. Two primary reasons for its good conservation status are its legal protection as a species and a network of functioning protected areas. The chital has been introduced to
11398-661: The differing life history strategies of the two sexes, where females are resource limited in their reproduction and cannot afford costly antlers, while male reproductive success depends on the size of their antlers because they are under directional sexual selection. In other species of deer, the presence of antlers in females indicates some degree of intersex condition, the frequency of which has been seen to vary from 1.5% to 0.02%. In moose , antlers may act as large hearing aids. Equipped with large, highly adjustable external ears, moose have highly sensitive hearing. Moose with antlers have more sensitive hearing than moose without, and
11537-574: The display. The male approaches the other in a slow gait. Males with velvet antlers may hunch over instead of standing erect as the males with hard antlers. The opponents then interlock their horns and push against each other, with the smaller male producing a sound at times which is louder than that produced by sambar deer , but not as much as the barasingha's. The fight terminates with the males stepping backward, or simply leaving and foraging. Fights are not generally serious. Individuals may occasionally bite one another. Common mynas are often attracted to
11676-417: The earliest members of the superfamily Cervoidea appeared in Eurasia in the Miocene. Dicrocerus , Euprox and Heteroprox were probably the first antlered cervids. Dicrocerus featured single-forked antlers that were shed regularly. Stephanocemas had more developed and diffuse ("crowned") antlers. Procervulus ( Palaeomerycidae ) also had antlers that were not shed. Contemporary forms such as
11815-648: The early Eocene , and gradually developed into the first antlered cervoids (the superfamily of cervids and related extinct families) in the Miocene . Eventually, with the development of antlers, the tusks as well as the upper incisors disappeared. Thus, evolution of deer took nearly 30 million years. Biologist Valerius Geist suggests evolution to have occurred in stages. There are not many prominent fossils to trace this evolution, but only fragments of skeletons and antlers that might be easily confused with false antlers of non-cervid species. The ruminants , ancestors of
11954-415: The early Miocene, about 17 million years ago. These early antlers were small and had just two forks. As antlers evolved, they lengthened and gained many branches, or tines, becoming more complex. The homology of tines has been discussed since the 1900s and has provided great insight into the evolutionary history of the Cervidae family. Recently, a new method to describe the branching structure of antlers
12093-690: The early Pleistocene, probably as a result of abundant resources to drive evolution. The early Pleistocene cervid † Eucladoceros was comparable in size to the modern elk. † Megaloceros (Pliocene–Pleistocene) featured the Irish elk ( M. giganteus ), one of the largest known cervids . The Irish elk reached 2 metres ( 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 ft) at the shoulder and had heavy antlers that spanned 3.6 metres (11 ft 10 in) from tip to tip. These large animals were traditionally thought to have faced extinction due to conflict between sexual selection for large antlers and body and natural selection for
12232-664: The ecological niches of the ibex and wild goat , with the fawns behaving more like goat kids. The highest concentration of large deer species in temperate North America lies in the Canadian Rocky Mountain and Columbia Mountain regions between Alberta and British Columbia where all five North American deer species ( white-tailed deer , mule deer , caribou , elk , and moose ) can be found. This region has several clusters of national parks including Mount Revelstoke National Park , Glacier National Park (Canada) , Yoho National Park , and Kootenay National Park on
12371-407: The elastic modulus for dry samples was 17.1 GPa, 7.5 GPa for wet samples, and 17.7 GPa for bovine femur. This difference in elastic modulus is due to the difference in function of a bovine femur versus an antler. Bovine femurs must withstand greater stresses, holding up the body of the animal, whereas an antler is used for sexual selection and competition. The principal means of evolution of antlers
12510-767: The emergence of cervids from the Oligocene to the early Pliocene . The latter half of the Oligocene (28–34 Mya) saw the appearance of the European Eumeryx and the North American Leptomeryx . The latter resembled modern-day bovids and cervids in dental morphology (for instance, it had brachyodont molars), while the former was more advanced . Other deer-like forms included the North American Blastomeryx and
12649-410: The end of their first winter. In the first twenty minutes of a fawn's life, the fawn begins to take its first steps. Its mother licks it clean until it is almost free of scent, so predators will not find it. Its mother leaves often to graze, and the fawn does not like to be left behind. Sometimes its mother must gently push it down with her foot. The fawn stays hidden in the grass for one week until it
12788-750: The endangered barasingha and very common chital are gregarious and live in large herds. Indian sambar can be gregarious but are usually solitary or live in smaller herds. Hog deer are solitary and have lower densities than Indian muntjac. Deer can be seen in several national parks in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka of which Kanha National Park , Dudhwa National Park , and Chitwan National Park are most famous. Sri Lanka's Wilpattu National Park and Yala National Park have large herds of Indian sambar and chital. The Indian sambar are more gregarious in Sri Lanka than other parts of their range and tend to form larger herds than elsewhere. The Chao Praya River Valley of Thailand
12927-1000: The extinct tarpan (forest horse), extinct aurochs (forest ox), and the endangered wisent (European bison). Good places to see deer in Europe include the Scottish Highlands , the Austrian Alps , the wetlands between Austria , Hungary , and the Czech Republic , and some National Parks, including Doñana National Park in Spain , the Veluwe in the Netherlands , the Ardennes in Belgium , and Białowieża National Park in Poland . Spain , Eastern Europe , and
13066-417: The features of the second and fifth metacarpal bones of their forelimbs: Plesiometacarpalia (most Old World deer) and Telemetacarpalia (most New World deer). He treated the musk deer as a cervid, placing it under Telemetacarpalia. While the telemetacarpal deer showed only those elements located far from the joint, the plesiometacarpal deer retained the elements closer to the joint as well. Differentiation on
13205-450: The females, and these are normally smaller than those of the males. Nevertheless, fertile does from other species of deer have the capacity to produce antlers on occasion, usually due to increased testosterone levels. The "horns" of a pronghorn (which is not a cervid but a antilocaprid ) meet some of the criteria of antlers, but are not considered true antlers because they contain keratin . Each antler grows from an attachment point on
13344-555: The food availability. In recent studies, increase in mineral content has been linked to the increase in stiffness with a decrease in fracture toughness. Further, bones are highly anisotropic due to their hierarchical structure. Thus, mechanical properties are highly dependent on testing conditions and directions. Due to their cylindrical shape, antlers can be tested using bending along three different orientations . Bend testing in these orientations have resulted in different mechanical properties. In samples from antler bone taken in
13483-531: The foothills and river valley bottoms of the Canadian Rockies owing to conversion of land to cropland and the clearing of coniferous forests allowing more deciduous vegetation to grow up the mountain slopes. They also live in the aspen parklands north of Calgary and Edmonton, where they share habitat with the moose. The adjacent Great Plains grassland habitats are left to herds of elk, American bison , and pronghorn . The Eurasian Continent (including
13622-421: The fore legs are longer than those of the hind legs. The toes taper to a point. The dental formula is 0.1.3.3 3.1.3.3 , same as the elk . The milk canine , nearly 1 cm (0.39 in) long, falls off before one year of age, but is not replaced by a permanent tooth as in other cervids. Compared to the hog deer, the chital has a more cursorial build. The antlers and brow tines are longer than those in
13761-406: The herd composition. Large herds are most common in monsoon, observed foraging in the grasslands. Predators of chitals include Indian wolves , tigers , Asiatic lions , leopards , pythons , dholes , Indian pariah dogs , and crocodiles . Fishing cats , jungle cats , foxes , golden jackals and eagles target juveniles. Males are less vulnerable than females and juveniles. A vocal animal,
13900-413: The hog deer. The pedicles (the bony cores from which antlers arise) are shorter, and the auditory bullae are smaller in the chital. The chital may be confused with the fallow deer . Chital have several white spots, whereas fallow deer usually have white splotches. Fallow also have palmate antlers whereas chital have 3 distinct points on each side. The chital has a prominent white patch on its throat, while
14039-413: The lack of response could be explained by the relationship between heterozygosity and antler size, which states that males heterozygous at multiple loci, including MHC loci, have larger antlers. The evolutionary response of traits that depend on heterozygosity is slower than traits that are dependent on additive genetic components and thus the evolutionary change is slower than expected. A third possibility
14178-577: The large antlers produced there. This is due to the high levels of chalk in Yorkshire. The chalk is high in calcium which is ingested by the deer and helps growth in the antlers. Gathering shed antlers or "sheds" attracts dedicated practitioners who refer to it colloquially as shed hunting , or bone picking . In the United States, the middle of December to the middle of February is considered shed hunting season, when deer, elk , and moose begin to shed. The North American Shed Hunting Club, founded in 1991,
14317-427: The largest antlers are more likely to obtain mates and achieve the highest fertilization success due to their competitiveness, dominance and high phenotypic quality. Whether this is a result of male-male fighting or display, or of female choosiness differs depending on the species as the shape, size, and function of antlers vary between species. There is evidence to support that antler size influences mate selection in
14456-510: The late Miocene–Pliocene; this appears highly probable as the camelids migrated into Asia from North America around the same time. Deer invaded South America in the late Pliocene (2.5–3 Mya) as part of the Great American Interchange , thanks to the recently formed Isthmus of Panama , and emerged successful due to the small number of competing ruminants in the continent. Large deer with impressive antlers evolved during
14595-450: The latter half of the 2000s all show that hydropotes is a sister taxon of Capreolus , and “Hydropotinae” became outdated subfamily. Until 2003, it was understood that the family Moschidae (musk deer) was sister to Cervidae. Then a phylogenetic study by Alexandre Hassanin (of National Museum of Natural History, France ) and colleagues, based on mitochondrial and nuclear analyses, revealed that Moschidae and Bovidae form
14734-527: The lighter females weigh 25–45 kg (55–99 lb). Mature stags can weigh up to 98–110 kg (216–243 lb). The tail, 20 cm (7.9 in) long, is marked by a dark stripe that stretches along its length. The species is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. The dorsal (upper) parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. The abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears, and tail are all white. A conspicuous black stripe runs along
14873-561: The list of invasive alien species and banned its import into the EU. Deer A deer ( pl. : deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family ). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac , elk (wapiti), red deer , and fallow deer ) and Capreolinae (which includes, among others reindeer (caribou), white-tailed deer , roe deer , and moose ). Male deer of almost all species (except
15012-569: The longitudinal and radial directions' values of 46.91-48.55 and 41.75-43.67 MPa. Tensile testing of antler bones has also been conducted to compare to bovine femur results. The antler samples were tested in dry and wet conditions as done in other studies. The wetness of a sample resulted in a difference in mean maximum strain : 1.46% and 2.2%, dry and wet respectively. Further, the ultimate tensile strength of wet, dry and bovine difference showed differences as well: 188 MPa, 108 MPa, and 99.2 MPa for dry, wet and bovine samples respectively. Similarly,
15151-541: The mating season and follows and guards a female in oestrus. The pair does several bouts of chasing and mutual licking before copulation. The newborn is hidden for a week after birth, a period much shorter than most other deer. The mother-fawn bond is not very strong, as the two get separated often, though they can reunite easily as the herds are cohesive. If the fawn dies, the mother can breed once again so as to give birth twice that year. The males continue their growth till seven to eight years. The average lifespan in captivity
15290-477: The modern English sense by the end of the Middle English period, around 1500. All modern Germanic languages save English and Scots retain the more general sense: for example, Dutch / Frisian dier , German Tier , and Norwegian dyr mean ' animal ' . For many types of deer in modern English usage, the male is a buck and the female a doe , but the terms vary with dialect, and according to
15429-413: The most restricted range living at higher altitudes in the subalpine meadows and alpine tundra areas of some of the mountain ranges. Elk and mule deer both migrate between the alpine meadows and lower coniferous forests and tend to be most common in this region. Elk also inhabit river valley bottomlands, which they share with White-tailed deer. The White-tailed deer have recently expanded their range within
15568-588: The municipality of Puerto Triunfo in Antioquia Department . Chital are active throughout the day. In the summer, time is spent in rest under shade, and the sun's glare is avoided if the temperature reaches 80 °F (27 °C); activity peaks as dusk approaches. As days grow cooler, foraging begins before sunrise and peaks by early morning. Activity slows down during midday, when the animals rest or loiter about slowly. Foraging recommences by late afternoon and continues till midnight. They fall asleep
15707-640: The people of Canada and part of the ecosystems in which they are discarded. Antler has been used through history as a material to make tools, weapons, ornaments, and toys. It was an especially important material in the European Late Paleolithic , used by the Magdalenian culture to make carvings and engraved designs on objects such as the so-called Bâton de commandements and the Bison Licking Insect Bite . In
15846-777: The periodic casting and regrowth of antlers might have evolved as a way to ensure the availability of complete antler sets to display each year. Antler regeneration in male deer ensures that every mating season begins on a clean slate, as an increase in branching size and complexity happens each regeneration cycle in an individual. Bones typically serve a structural purpose, with load bearing abilities that are greater than any other part of an animals body. Bones typically differ in shape and properties to better fit their overall function. Antlers are not structural and typically have different properties when compared to structural bones like femurs. While antlers are classified as bone, they differ in some ways from human bones and bovine bones. Bone
15985-544: The possible exception of the Indian muntjac . There are also several species of deer that are highly specialized and live almost exclusively in mountains, grasslands, swamps, and "wet" savannas, or riparian corridors surrounded by deserts . Some deer have a circumpolar distribution in both North America and Eurasia . Examples include the caribou that live in Arctic tundra and taiga (boreal forests) and moose that inhabit taiga and adjacent areas. Huemul deer ( taruca and Chilean huemul ) of South America 's Andes fill
16124-430: The red deer, and has a heritable component. Despite this, a 30-year study showed no shift in the median size of antlers in a population of red deer. The lack of response could be explained by environmental covariance, meaning that lifetime breeding success is determined by an unmeasured trait which is phenotypically correlated with antler size but for which there is no genetic correlation of antler growth. Alternatively,
16263-402: The right spot and never really find it." Deer appear to be immune to this parasite; it passes through the digestive system and is excreted in the feces. The parasite is not screened by the moose intestine, and passes into the brain where damage is done that is externally apparent, both in behaviour and in gait. Deer, elk and moose in North America may suffer from chronic wasting disease , which
16402-417: The second most diverse family of artiodactyla after bovids. Though of a similar build, deer are strongly distinguished from antelopes by their antlers , which are temporary and regularly regrown unlike the permanent horns of bovids. Characteristics typical of deer include long, powerful legs, a diminutive tail and long ears. Deer exhibit a broad variation in physical proportions. The largest extant deer
16541-561: The shoulder. While males weigh 70–90 kg (150–200 lb), females weigh around 40–60 kg (88–132 lb). It is sexually dimorphic ; males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. The abdomen, rump , throat, insides of legs, ears, and tail are all white. The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long. The vernacular name "chital" (pronounced / tʃ iː t əl / ) comes from cītal ( Hindi : चीतल ), derived from
16680-472: The size of the antlers. Hunters have developed terms for antler parts: beam, palm, brow, bez or bay, trez or tray, royal, and surroyal. These are the main shaft, flattened center, first tine , second tine, third tine, fourth tine, and fifth or higher tines, respectively. The second branch is also called an advancer. In Yorkshire in the United Kingdom roe deer hunting is especially popular due to
16819-399: The size of the species. The male red deer is a stag , while for other large species the male is a bull , the female a cow , as in cattle. In older usage, the male of any species is a hart , especially if over five years old, and the female is a hind , especially if three or more years old. The young of small species is a fawn and of large species a calf ; a very small young may be
16958-431: The skull called a pedicle. While an antler is growing, it is covered with highly vascular skin called velvet , which supplies oxygen and nutrients to the growing bone. Antlers are considered one of the most exaggerated cases of male secondary sexual traits in the animal kingdom, and grow faster than any other mammal bone. Growth occurs at the tip, and is initially cartilage , which is later replaced by bone tissue. Once
17097-524: The sole maintenance host in the Michigan outbreak of bovine tuberculosis which remains a significant barrier to the US nationwide eradication of the disease in livestock. Moose and deer can carry rabies . Docile moose may suffer from brain worm , a helminth which drills holes through the brain in its search for a suitable place to lay its eggs. A government biologist states that "They move around looking for
17236-402: The spine (back bone). The chital has well-developed preorbital glands (near the eyes) with stiff hairs. It also has well-developed metatarsal glands and pedal glands located in its hind legs. The preorbital glands, larger in males than in females, are frequently opened in response to certain stimuli. Each of the antlers has three lines on it. The brow tine (the first division in the antler)
17375-574: The third year. This process of losing a set of antlers to develop a larger and more branched set continues for the rest of the life. The antlers emerge as soft tissues (known as velvet antlers ) and progressively harden into bony structures (known as hard antlers), following mineralisation and blockage of blood vessels in the tissue, from the tip to the base. Antlers might be one of the most exaggerated male secondary sexual characteristics , and are intended primarily for reproductive success through sexual selection and for combat. The tines (forks) on
17514-632: The throat of the fallow deer is completely white. The biggest distinction is the dark brown stripe running down the chital's back. The hairs are smooth and flexible. The chital ranges over 8–30°N in India , Nepal , Bhutan , Bangladesh and Sri Lanka . The western limit of its range is eastern Rajasthan and Gujarat ; its northern limit is throughout the Terai and northern West Bengal , Sikkim to western Assam and forested valleys in Bhutan below an elevation of 1,100 m (3,600 ft). It also occurs in
17653-541: The time of parturition. The fallow deer and the various subspecies of the reindeer have the largest as well as the heaviest antlers, both in absolute terms as well as in proportion to body mass (an average of eight grams per kilogram of body mass); the tufted deer, on the other hand, has the smallest antlers of all deer, while the pudú has the lightest antlers with respect to body mass (0.6 g per kilogram of body mass). The structure of antlers show considerable variation; while fallow deer and elk antlers are palmate (with
17792-445: The tip to the base. A study of the mineral composition of the antlers of captive barasingha, chital, and hog deer showed that the antlers of the deer are very similar. The mineral content of the chital's antlers was determined to be (per kg) 6.1 mg (0.094 gr) copper, 8.04 mg (0.1241 gr) cobalt, and 32.14 mg (0.4960 gr) zinc. Hooves measure between 4.1 and 6.1 cm (1.6 and 2.4 in) in length; hooves of
17931-429: The transverse direction, an elastic modulus of 8.92-10.02 GPa was reported. For the longitudinal and radial orientations, the elastic modulus was 7.19-8.23 and 4.01-4.27 GPa respectively. The transverse direction was overall found to be the stronger orientation with higher mechanical properties. The ultimate tensile strength of 262.96-274.38 MPa in the transverse direction was statistically significant when compared to
18070-456: The various Asian rhinoceros species, various antelope species (such as nilgai , four-horned antelope , blackbuck , and Indian gazelle in India), and wild oxen (such as wild Asian water buffalo , gaur , banteng , and kouprey ). One way that different herbivores can survive together in a given area is for each species to have different food preferences, although there may be some overlap. As
18209-512: The world. Clearing open areas within forests to some extent may actually benefit deer populations by exposing the understory and allowing the types of grasses, weeds, and herbs to grow that deer like to eat. Access to adjacent croplands may also benefit deer. Adequate forest or brush cover must still be provided for populations to grow and thrive. Deer are widely distributed, with indigenous representatives in all continents except Antarctica and Australia , though Africa has only one native deer,
18348-547: The young, known in most species as fawns, are only cared for by the mother, most often called a doe. A doe generally has one or two fawns at a time (triplets, while not unknown, are uncommon). Mating season typically begins in later August and lasts until December. Some species mate until early March. The gestation period is anywhere up to ten months for the European roe deer. Most fawns are born with their fur covered with white spots, though in many species they lose these spots by
18487-566: Was Rowland Ward Ltd., a London taxidermy firm, in the early 20th century. For a time only total length or spread was recorded. In the middle of the century, the Boone and Crockett Club and the Safari Club International developed complex scoring systems based on various dimensions and the number of tines or points, and they keep extensive records of high-scoring antlers. Deer bred for hunting on farms are selected based on
18626-462: Was developed. It is by using antler grooves, which are formed on the surface of antlers by growth, projecting the branching structure on the burr circumference, and making diagrams. Comparing the positional order among species on the diagram, the tine on the same position is homologous. The study revealed that three-pointed structures of Capreolinae and Cervini are homoplasious, and their subclades gained synapomorphous tines. Discarded antlers represent
18765-513: Was identified at a Colorado laboratory in the 1960s and is believed to be a prion disease. Out of an abundance of caution hunters are advised to avoid contact with specified risk material (SRM) such as the brain, spinal column or lymph nodes. Deboning the meat when butchering and sanitizing the knives and other tools used to butcher are amongst other government recommendations. Deer are believed to have evolved from antlerless, tusked ancestors that resembled modern duikers and diminutive deer in
18904-474: Was once primarily tropical seasonal moist deciduous forest and wet savanna that hosted populations of hog deer, the now-extinct Schomburgk's deer , Eld's deer , Indian sambar, and Indian muntjac. Both the hog deer and Eld's deer are rare, whereas Indian sambar and Indian muntjac thrive in protected national parks, such as Khao Yai . Many of these South Asian and Southeast Asian deer species also share their habitat with other herbivores , such as Asian elephants ,
19043-423: Was originally broad in meaning, becoming more specific with time. Old English dēor and Middle English der meant a wild animal of any kind. Cognates of Old English dēor in other dead Germanic languages have the general sense of animal , such as Old High German tior , Old Norse djur or dȳr , Gothic dius , Old Saxon dier , and Old Frisian diar . This general sense gave way to
19182-582: Was revealed to be paraphyletic and distant from Hyelaphus in the phylogenetic tree; the chital was found to form a clade with the barasingha ( Rucervus duvaucelii ) and the Schomburgk's deer ( Rucervus schomburgki ). The chital was estimated to have genetically diverged from the Rucervus lineage in the Early Pliocene about 5 million years ago . The following cladogram is based on
19321-414: Was taken to indicate that antler formation is more similar to a highly controlled form of cancer growth than to normal bone development. Antlers function as both weapons in male-male competition and as displays of sexual ornaments for females. Because mature antlers are no longer living during combat, antler fractures are incapable of being repaired following competition. A study in 2019 hypothesized that
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