Deer (singular and plural) are habitats around the world. Clearing the ruminant mammals forming open areas within forests to some extent the family Cervidae. The two main may actually benefit deer populations by groups are the Cervinae, including exposing the understory and allowing the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the fallow the types of grasses, weeds, and herbs deer and the chital, and the Capreolinae, to grow that deer like to eat. including the reindeer (caribou), the roe Additionally, access to adjacent deer and the moose. Female reindeer, croplands may also benefit deer. and male deer of all species (except the However, adequate forest or brush cover Chinese water deer), grow and shed must still be provided for populations to new antlers each year. In this they differ grow and thrive. from permanently horned antelope, Deer are widely distributed, with which are in the same indigenous representatives in all order, Artiodactyla. continents except Antarctica and The musk deer of Asia and water Australia, though Africa has only one chevrotain (or mouse deer) of tropical native deer, the Barbary stag, a African and Asian forests are not usually subspecies of red deer that is confined regarded as true deer and form their to the Atlas Mountains in the northwest own of the continent. However, fallow families: Moschidae and Tragulidae, deer have been introduced to South respectively. Africa. Small species of brocket Deer appear in art deer and pudús of Central and South from Paleolithic cave paintings onwards, America, and muntjacs of Asia generally and they have played a role in occupy dense forests and are less often mythology, religion, and literature seen in open spaces, with the possible throughout history, as well as exception of the Indian muntjac. There in heraldry. Their economic importance are also several species of deer that are includes the use of their meat highly specialized, and live almost as venison, their skins as soft, exclusively in mountains, grasslands, strong buckskin, and their antlers as swamps, and "wet" savannas, or riparian handles for knives. Deer hunting has corridors surrounded by deserts. Some been a popular activity since at least the deer have a circumpolar distribution in Middle Ages, and remains an important both North America and Eurasia. business today. Examples include the caribou that live in Arctic tundra and taiga (boreal forests) Deer live in a variety of biomes, ranging and moose that inhabit taiga and from tundra to the tropical rainforest. adjacent areas. Huemul deer While often associated with forests, (taruca and Chilean huemul) of South many deer are ecotonespecies that live America's Andes fill the ecological in transitional areas between forests and niches of the ibex and wild goat, with thickets (for cover) and prairie and the fawns behaving more like goat kids. savanna (open space). The majority of The highest concentration of large deer species inhabit temperate large deer species in temperate North mixed deciduous forest, mountain America lies in the Canadian Rocky mixed coniferous forest, tropical Mountain and Columbia seasonal/dry forest, and savanna Mountain regions between Alberta and British Columbia where all five North species of deer in the world, with most American deer species (white-tailed species being found in Asia. Europe, in deer, mule deer, caribou, elk, and comparison, has lower diversity in plant moose) can be found. This region has and animal species. However, many several clusters of national parks national parks and protected reserves in including Mount Revelstoke National Europe do have populations of red Park, Glacier National Park deer, roe deer, and fallow deer. These (Canada), Yoho National Park, species have long been associated with and Kootenay National Park on the the continent of Europe, but also British Columbia side, and Banff inhabit Asia Minor, the Caucasus National Park, Jasper National Park, Mountains, and Northwestern Iran. and Glacier National Park (U.S.) on the "European" fallow deer historically lived Alberta and Montana sides. Mountain over much of Europe during the Ice slope habitats vary from moist Ages, but afterwards became restricted coniferous/mixed forested habitats to primarily to the Anatolian Peninsula, in dry subalpine/pine forests with alpine present-day Turkey. meadows higher up. The foothills and Present-day fallow deer river valleys between the mountain populations in Europe are a result of ranges provide a mosaic of cropland and historic man-made introductions of this deciduous parklands. The rare woodland species, first to the Mediterranean caribou have the most restricted range regions of Europe, then eventually to the living at higher altitudes in the subalpine rest of Europe. They were initially park meadows and alpine tundra areas of animals that later escaped and some of the mountain ranges. Elk and reestablished themselves in the wild. mule deer both migrate between the Historically, Europe's deer species alpine meadows and lower coniferous shared their deciduous forest habitat forests and tend to be most common in with other herbivores, such as the this region. Elk also inhabit river valley extinct tarpan (forest horse), bottomlands, which they share with extinct aurochs (forest ox), and the White-tailed deer. The White-tailed deer endangered wisent (European bison). have recently expanded their range Good places to see deer in Europe within the foothills and river valley include the Scottish Highlands, the bottoms of the Canadian Rockies owing Austrian Alps, the wetlands between to conversion of land to cropland and Austria, Hungary, and the Czech the clearing of coniferous forests Republic and some fine National Parks, allowing more deciduous vegetation to including Doñana National Park in Spain, grow up the mountain slopes. They also the Veluwe in the Netherlands, live in the aspen parklands north of the Ardennes in Belgium, Calgary and Edmonton, where they and Białowieża National Park of Poland. share habitat with the moose. The Spain, Eastern Europe, and the adjacent Great Plains grassland habitats Caucasus Mountains still have virgin are left to herds of elk, American bison, forest areas that are not only home to and pronghorn antelope. sizable deer populations but also for other animals that were once abundant The Eurasian Continent (including the such as the wisent, Eurasian Indian Subcontinent) boasts the most lynx, Iberian lynx, wolves, and brown Lanka of which Kanha National bears. Park, Dudhwa National Park, The highest concentration of and Chitwan National Park are most large deer species in temperate Asia famous. Sri Lanka's Wilpattu National occurs in the mixed deciduous forests, Park and Yala National Park have large mountain coniferous forests, and taiga herds of Indian sambar and chital. The bordering North Korea, Manchuria Indian sambar are more gregarious in Sri (Northeastern China), and the Ussuri Lanka than other parts of their range Region (Russia). These are among some and tend to form larger herds than of the richest deciduous and coniferous elsewhere. forests in the world where one can The Chao Praya River Valley of find Siberian roe deer, sika deer, elk, and Thailand was once primarily tropical moose. Asian caribou occupy the seasonal moist deciduous forest and northern fringes of this region along the wet savanna that hosted populations of Sino-Russian border. hog deer, the now-extinct Schomburgk's Deer such as the sika deer, Eld's deer, Indian sambar, and deer, Thorold's deer, Central Asian red Indian muntjac. Both the hog deer and deer, and elk have historically been Eld's deer are rare, whereas Indian farmed for their antlers by Han sambar and Indian muntjac thrive in Chinese, Turkic peoples, Tungusic protected national parks, such as Khao peoples, Mongolians, and Koreans. Like Yai. Many of these South Asian and the Sami people of Finland and Southeast Asian deer species also share Scandinavia, the Tungusic peoples, their habitat with other herbivores, such Mongolians, and Turkic peoples of as Asian elephants, the various Asian Southern Siberia, Northern Mongolia, rhinoceros species, various antelope and the Ussuri Region have also taken to species (such as nilgai, four-horned raising semi-domesticated herds of antelope, blackbuck, and Indian Asian caribou. gazelle in India), and wild oxen (such The highest concentration of as wild Asian water large deer species in the tropics occurs buffalo, gaur, banteng, and kouprey). in Southern Asia in India's Indo-Gangetic One way that different herbivores can Plain Region and Nepal's Terai Region. survive together in a given area is for These fertile plains consist of tropical each species to have different food seasonal moist deciduous, dry preferences, although there may be deciduous forests, and both dry and wet some overlap. savannas that are home to chital, hog Australia has six introduced species of deer, barasingha, Indian sambar, deer that have established sustainable and Indian muntjac. Grazing species wild populations from acclimatisation such as the endangered barasingha and society releases in the 19th century. very common chital are gregarious and These are the fallow deer, red deer, live in large herds. Indian sambar can be sambar, hog deer, rusa, and chital. Red gregarious but are usually solitary or live deer introduced into New Zealand in in smaller herds. Hog deer are solitary 1851 from English and Scottish stock and have lower densities than Indian were domesticated in deer farms by the muntjac. Deer can be seen in several late 1960s and are common farm national parks in India, Nepal, and Sri animals there now. Seven other species of deer were introduced into New brown winter coat in autumn, which in Zealand but none are as widespread as turn gives way to the summer coat in the red deer. following spring. Moulting is affected by the photoperiod. Description Deer are also excellent jumpers and swimmers. Deer are ruminants, or Deer constitute the second most diverse cud-chewers, and have a four- family after bovids.