8 Subspecies Of Deer
Did you know that there are currently at least 25 subspecies of deer around the world? Most of them live in Eurasia, although it is also possible to admire them in Africa, America and Oceania. In this article we will list some of them.
Deer subspecies in Eurasia and Africa
Cervids live in almost all of Europe, in North Africa and in East Asia. Some of the deer subspecies that we can find in these regions are:
1. Noble deer
Although smaller in size than its European relative, it is a majestic animal with a reddish brown fur and a lighter belly, which turns grayer in winter.
Males can weigh around 200 kilos – females reach half this weight – and have large antlers, like other deer. In this species the female specimens have small protuberances in the upper part of the skull.
2. European deer
It is one of the largest wild herbivores on the continent and similar in colors and horns to the red deer. It lives in dense woods and mountainous systems and its habits differ according to the human presence: it can be nocturnal, except in the period in which it is in heat, or diurnal.
It should be noted that, although males have horns, they do not use them to defend themselves; on the contrary, they run away to avoid being hunted.
3. Siberian deer
Unlike other deer, Siberian males do not have horns, their body is medium in size – around one meter in height – and they have legs to jump and not sink into the snow during the winter.
It is herbivorous and feeds on lichen, leaves, stems, moss, bark and fungi. It is quite solitary – it stays with others only during the time it reproduces – and most active at dawn and dusk.
4. Bactrian deer
It is also known as Bukhara deer. It lives in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, although the number of specimens is increasingly reduced due, in part, to the frequent conflicts in these countries.
The Bactrian deer prefers a particular habitat called tugai, which is made up of valleys, plains and a large amount of vegetation. This is the place where he has lived for several centuries.
Deer subspecies in America
On this continent this animal is known as ‘wapiti’ and is typical of the northern regions. In the south – Chile and Argentina – it was introduced for sport hunting and is considered harmful to the ecosystem. The subspecies of American deer are:
1. Yellowstone deer
Also called American deer, it inhabits southern Canada (Alberta and British Columbia), as well as the west and central United States (Utah, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Dakota).
It is large in size: males reach two meters in height and 370 grams in weight and have horns about one and a half meters long. Females have a darker coat and weigh around 200 kilos.
2. Manitoba deer
The Manitoba wapiti lives in this province of Canada, in areas designated as nature reserves, such as the Riding Mountain, Prince Albert and Duck Mountain National Parks .
3. Roosevelt deer
It is the largest subspecies of deer there is. The males in fact reach 600 kilos and was renamed in this way in honor of the former president Theodore Roosevelt, a passionate naturalist.
The horns of the males have various points and the ends are webbed. It lives in the west of North America (Vancouver, Oregon and Washington).
4. California deer
It is the smallest of the North American deer and until 1870 it lived in the woods, on the prairies and in the Californian scrub. However, hunting and the progressive destruction of the environment nearly led to extinction. Fortunately, a reserve was created in the center of the state in which they have multiplied ever since.
