Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Red Deer
Scientific Name:
Cervus elephus
Weight:
Up to 225kg
Lifespan:
16 - 18 years. Heavy infant mortality at and shortly after birth and during first winter in some Scottish hill populations Description
The largest land animal in the UK, the Red Deer stands over 1.2m to the shoulder. The male deer has antlers that can span over 1m that are used primarily to display status, rather than as a form of defence or attack. Each winter the antlers are shed. During winter the Red Deer has a brownish/grey coat, changing to reddish/brown in Summer. They have a beige tail and creamy patch on the rump.
Distribution
Parks throughout the British Isles may host Red Deer, but they are found in the wild in the New Forest, Highlands of Scotland, West Country and the Lake District.
Habitat
Within its range in England and southern Scotland occurs in woodlands and forests but can adapt to open moor and hill on Scottish hills and south-west England.
Diet
Grazers of grasses, and dwarf shrubs e.g. heather and bilberry. Woody browse, e.g. tree shoots, is taken when other food is limiting e.g. during winter
Behaviour
In woodlands red deer are largely solitary or occur as mother and calf groups. On open ground, larger, single sex groups assemble, only mixing during the rut and in the Highlands of Scotland large groups may persist for most of the year. Stags roar and grunt during the rut. Hinds bark when alarmed and moo when searching for their young. Calves emit a high-pitched squeal when alarmed and may bleat to their mother. Red deer are active throughout the 24-hour period but make more use of open spaces during the hours of darkness in populations experiencing frequent disturbance. Peak times of activity are at dawn and dusk. In the Highlands of Scotland red deer use the open hill during the day and descend to lower ground during the night.
Reproduction
Usually living in single-sex herds, the male and female deer will start to mingle in autumn at the start of the rutting season. During the rut, males can be heard to bellow more than quarter of a mile away. The rutting season usually lasts for about a month. Only stags over 5 years old tend to achieve matings despite being sexually mature much earlier (before their 2nd
Status
Not generally endangered in the British Isles, the Red Deer is sometimes culled in an effort to control numbers.
Did You Know?
The Red Deer is the largest British mammal. It is most active at dawn and dusk. Red deer migrated into Britain from Europe 11000 years ago. They were used extensively by Mesolithic man as a source of food, skins and tools (bones and antlers). Neolithic man developed agriculture and cleared swathes of forest to make way for fields. This loss of forest encouraged the decline of red deer populations, which became confined to the Scottish Highlands, south-west England and a few other small, scattered populations. The Normans protected red deer in parks and "forests" (often devoid of trees!) for royal hunting, but this protection was lost during the Mediaeval period causing another decline in numbers in England. Victorian re-introductions of "improved" stock (often inter-bred with larger related species such as Wapiti), escapes from deer parks, natural spread and increase in the Highlands and an increase in forest and woodland cover since the early 20th century mean that red deer are now widely distributed in Britain and are expanding in range and number
Footprint Image
Footprint Description
Cleaves broad,parallel and rounded.Little splaying even when animal slips. Similarly, dew claws rarely show, even in soft ground.
Footprint Size
7.8x6cm.
Droppings Description
Droppings are around 2cm long, and roughly 1.5cm diameter.Droppings deposited by females tend to be rounded, while those by males are pointed at one end, flattened at the other, and resemble an acorn in shape. Deposited in piles, or strings randomly. In summer, males may deposit soft masses resembling small cowpats (5-7.5cm diameter).