Tales From Riverbank DEER & Cervidae #doyouknownature

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 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.
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Deer
Temporal range: Early Miocene–Recent 
Images of a few members of the family Cervidae (clockwise from top left): the red deer (Cervus elaphus), sika deer (Cervus nippon), barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii), caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)Scientific classificationDomain:EukaryotaKingdom:AnimaliaPhylum:ChordataClass:MammaliaOrder:ArtiodactylaInfraorder:PecoraFamily:Cervidae
Goldfuss, 1820Type genusCervus

Linnaeus, 1758

Subfamilies

Capreolinae

Cervinae

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 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.[2] 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.

Etymology and terminology

Distribution

Description

Deer tails:

White-tailed deer

Mule deer

Black-tailed deer

Elk

Red deer

Deer constitute the second most diverse family of artiodactyla after bovids.[8] 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.[9] Characteristics typical of deer include long, powerful legs, a diminutive tail and long ears.[10] Deer exhibit a broad variation in physical proportions. The largest extant deer is the moose, which is nearly 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) tall and weighs up to 800 kilograms (1,800 lb).[11][12] 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).[13] 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 is only slightly taller and heavier.[14] Sexual dimorphism is quite pronounced – in most species males tend to be larger than females,[15] and, except for the reindeer, only males have antlers.[16]

Coat colour generally varies between red and brown,[17] though it can be as dark as chocolate brown in the tufted deer[18] or have a grayish tinge as in elk.[13] Different species of brocket deer vary from gray to reddish brown in coat colour.[19] Several species such as the chital,[20] the fallow deer[21] and the sika deer[22] feature white spots on a brown coat. Coat of reindeer shows notable geographical variation.[23] Deer undergo two moults in a year;[17][24] 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.[25] Moulting is affected by the photoperiod.[26]

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,[27] do consume meat when it is available.[28]

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 a liver without a gallbladder. Deer also have a tapetum lucidum, which gives them sufficiently good night vision.

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