Wildlife Discovery:The Deer

Deer (singular and plural) are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include White-tailed deer, Elk, Moose, Red Deer, Reindeer, Fallow Deer, Roe and Chital. Male deer of all species and female Reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year. In this they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope; these are in the same order as deer and may bear a superficial resemblance. The musk deer of Asia and Water Chevrotain (or Mouse Deer) of tropical African and Asian forests are not usually regarded as true deer and form their own families, Moschidae and Tragulidae, respectively. The word “deer” was originally broad in meaning, but became more specific over time. In Middle English der (Old English dçor) meant a wild animal of any kind. This was as opposed to cattle, which then meant any sort of domestic livestock that was easy to collect and remove from the land, from the idea of personal-property ownership (rather than real estate property) and related to modern chattel (property) and capital. The word “deer” was originally broad in meaning, but became more specific over time. In Middle English der (Old English dçor) meant a wild animal of any kind. This was as opposed to cattle, which then meant any sort of domestic livestock that was easy to collect and remove from the land, from the idea of personal-property ownership (rather than real estate property) and related to modern chattel (property) and capital. Cognates of Old English dçor in other dead Germanic languages have the general sense of “animal”, such as Old High German tior, Old Norse djur or dyr, Gothic dius, Old Saxon dier, and Old Frisian diar. Deer weights generally range from 30 to 250 kilograms (70 to 600 lb), though the Northern Pudu averages 10 kilograms (20 lb) and the Moose averages 431 kilograms (1,000 lb). They generally have lithe, compact bodies and long, powerful legs suited for rugged woodland terrain. Deer are also excellent jumpers and swimmers. Deer are ruminants, or cud-chewers, and have a four-chambered stomach. 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. Ends